Power Rangers Sigma Force
by LLSmoothJ
Summary: In a universe where there are more human-inhabited planets, a war between the planets is on the verge of occurring. Now a new team of rangers must stop a war monger from achieving his evil ambitions. Who knew that ditching school would lead to this
1. First Meetings

**Chapter 1:** First Meetings! A Festival Turns Into A Disaster!

Within the loud obnoxious sound of the alarm clock, a lone hand recklessly slammed onto the top the irritating device. Afterwards, a pair of dark eyes began to slowly open before their owner managed to sit upright. As his eyes adjusted to the bright lighting from the outside, he soon peeled off the covers before standing up to stretch. It was another start to another day… As he took a glance at the alarm clock he soon realized that the day had already started.

"WHAT? TEN O'CLOCK?" He quickly rushed towards his closet, quickly looking for something to wear. "Not again…" He managed to grab a pair of black camo long shorts and a red sleeveless shirt. With his quick undressing of his Red gym shorts, he dressed in the selected clothing just as fast. Of all the times to be late again, this was definitely not going to be one of them…

As he struggled in putting on his black high tops, he thanked whatever gods that were looking down on him that he had packed the books he would need for today in his backpack the night before as he searched around for anything else he would need. Part of him wanted to just say "Screw it" and skip the class while the other told him to just show up anyway. Either way, his teacher wasn't going to be happy anyway. Within grabbing his black and crimson backpack, he quickly rushed out the door as unknowingly due to his obvious haste, he ran into a tall figure. Upon impact, both of them were knocked down to the blue carpeting in the hall.

"Hey, are ya _tryin'_ to put me in a coma, Tyler?" The impacted figure responded in understandable anger, having a hint of a southern accent.

"Umm… You're the one who's standing in the middle of the hallway, Howie! He retorted, rubbing his head upon impact, "You're basically like a rock!"

"Ain't mah fault you ran into me! Ya betta' watch where ya goin' next time!"

"Look, just get out of the way so I can get to my class, okay Sarge!"

"Sarge" raised an eyebrow, "You mockin' me, Brah?"

"Dude, I don't got time for this crap! Just march somewhere else so I can get to class! I'm already late without having to kick your ass."

"Oh is that so?"

"I _know_ so! You are a bit on the slow side, my friend. Physically _and_ mentally!"

"Oh that's it!" He narrowed his eyes. "Ya better be ready for combat, 'cause Ah'm gonna kick yer ass now!"

"Aww…" He whined in a mocking tone, "But my ass doesn't like it when it gets kicked!" However, that didn't stop his adversary as, at the slamming of his knuckles together, his skin began to change into a more granite appearance. Within seconds, his entire body, save for his clothes, brown hair and eyes, were made of rock.

"Time for you to be terminated, punk!" He rushed over to the young boy, the one who dared to insult him. As he was within ranged, he clocked his arm back before releasing a powerful punch directly towards his face.

"SHIT!" He ducked from the punch as a hard boom could be heard. He would've been surprised if the whole dorm didn't hear it, being how hard the impact was. Speaking of impact, his opponent's left a fist-sized dent in the wall. "Yo, you're never gonna get your deposit back after this!"

"Mah deposit's the least of 'ya worries!" The rocky figure threw out another punch. This time, the arm was grabbed as, within moments, he soon found himself not only outside of the dormitory but a good five feet off the ground. "Sam hell?" He didn't had much time to react as he soon found himself flipped over and on a short, hard trip down onto the pavement, bringing a lot of attention from the other students.

"Those two are fighting again?"

"What'd you expect from those two morons?"

"Who started it _this_ time?"

"Does it matter? With Zack and Brad, anything's possible!"

The red-clad student stood up from using the stone giant as his own cushion for the fall. "That long drop… It's a doozy!" Perhaps he picked the wrong time to gloat, declaring his victory in the impromptu fight, as he was soon met with a hard stone fist from below…

"You let down yer defenses!" Brad stood up on his feet, looking down at the barely-conscious rival. "Y'need some serious combat trainin'!"

"Look, I already got enough problems without having to turn you into someone's rock collection, okay?" Zack shook his head as he tried to get up from the ground.

"Please! The only reason why you even got a shot was because you unceremoniously changed the location of our battlefield!"

"I'm not the only one who used my powers, Rocko!" Zack poked the rock-like skin that wasn't covered by his green tank top.

"Whatever… So what's the score? 9-2?"

"More like 6-5, but I'll give this one to you!" Zack sighed, "I don't really want to deal with this. I'm already going have to deal with Mr. Parker for ditching his class…_again_!"

"Aw, you can still make it! It's just ten after!"

"Nah… If it's later than ten, it ain't worth showing up! Besides, I may be a bit unfamiliar with your schedule, but let's just say that I wasn't the only one who's not in class!"

Brad scoffed, "S'not like Ah'm not gonna be…"

"Like hell you aren't! We all know that you ditch just about every other day!"

"Ah'm on scholarship and don't need to be doing these things that'll cause me to lose it!"

"Oh please, you know that you're going to go to the festival downtown!"

"Am not! Ah ain't goin'!"

"Whatever!"

"Ah ain't goin' and dat's final!"

20 Minutes Later…

"Ah can't believe ya got me to ditch class – _again_!" Brad fumed as he and Zack walked along the sidewalk. This would be another class he would miss. True, that it didn't bother him before. But today's class was different! In French class they were going to make all of those fancy French pastries he's heard so much about.

Zack rolled his eyes, "Oh quit your whining. You can just catch up what you've missed online like we always do!" His friend's growls weren't exactly doing him any favors, causing the dreadlocked young adult to sigh. "Look, I'll make it up to ya with a hotdog!" Sure it would cost him money, the money he was saving up for a new bike, but it was better than Brad getting pissed and getting into another fight. And fighting Brad once was enough for a month, let alone day. With a glare from the crew-cut Texan, Zack knew that he was in it big time. 'Or maybe he should get him something else.' Still, they were out here now so they should at least make the best of it. "Besides, a lot of fun things could happen today…"

"Like what!"

He could sense the doubt in his friend's tone of voice. He didn't understood why he was so down about coming here. After all, it was the annual Coast City festival! There's a lot that was happening going on not only today, but for the entire week! Different show booths, games, door prizes. Just to name a few. They even had food such as ribs and the ever-popular cheddar chicken sandwich.

"Seriously, what the hell's the point of us even bein' out here?"

"Oh come on! There are lots of reasons: Prizes, games, and don't forget: The ladies!"

A small smile began to form on the frustrated college student's face. "Y'right about that!"

"Let's just hope they're just as hot as last year." Zack saw Brad finally loosen up to the idea.

"And single!" Brad reminded, "Last year…Well… It didn't go so well!"

"How were _we_ supposed to know they had boyfriends not only back home, but from another planet? Do we have to be psychics or something?"

"There are people who are capable of that kind of stuff! Maybe we need to start being friends with one of 'em!"

Zack scoffed, "Good luck. We probably have a better chance of each of us both dating cheerleaders without getting death threats from Hometown Harry and Homeplanet Howie!"

"You maybe… Me… Let's just say that Ah've been havin' a lock on a girl for quite a while!"

"Is she really interested in you, or is she looking for a big muscle man to protect her from her, let be honest, abusive boyfriend she's broken up with over the last what? Hundred? Thousand times? I stopped caring…"

"There ya go again! Makin' accusations! Y'know that the school population is 68% female!"

"Apparently somebody forgot that a good chunk of that '68%' more likely have boyfriends back at home."

"Ya just sayin' that because ya can't get one!"

"I don't even want one! I've already have problems finishing my schoolwork without having relationship problems with the girls!"

"Maybe if you'd stop ditchin' classes twice a week and finish yer homework instead, you'd probably have all the time in the world! And yer mouth also may have something to do with the ladies' constant avoiding of becoming too close to ya!"

"Like I'm going to let what a spoiled, narcissistic, Daddy's girl says get to me." Zack scoffed, "Basically she could drop dead for all I care!"

"Now that's just harsh right there!"

"These are harsh times after all. And if that girl has a problem with me for some ridiculous reason or another, that's her deal but don't expect me to just be a punching bag for her verbal abuse either." In truth, Zack had felt more than ready to punch her. But there were two things that were holding him back. 1) She was a girl. And 2) He already found himself in enough trouble without getting into fights, then it'd just escalate into something worse.

**Space Station: Omega, Outside Planet Syral.**

"How much longer must we wait for the signal?" A rather-large man paced impatiently, the soles of his black boots slightly grating the cold, steel floor.

"We will do so in time, Captain. But we must make sure that everything goes smoothly. There is little room for error if we are to be successful." Another man explained. Unlike the captain, he was more relaxed, calm about the situation. "You worry too much!"

"And you worry too little. 50 years ago we had victory in our grasps, just for it to be snatched away by the Earthlings. All it took was one flaw, one ridiculously-obvious flaw, and there it went! Decades of research and development all went up in smoke!" His dark eyes narrowed as he slammed a fist onto a desktop, causing a slight dent in the wood. "We were all made to look like fools and up to this day we're still being mocked! 'How the mighty have fallen' indeed…"

"It's not like they're expecting anything. If anyone, the only people who are more ready for a fight are the Rhynians, and they're not exactly the most technologically advanced. And besides, you need to take it easy a bit. You look like you're about to bust a vein…"

He was ready to strike. He was ready to clutch that scrawny neck of that pompous arrogant brat if only to knock him out of his comfort zone for a bit. But before he could move a single centimeter, the sound of two metallic doors sliding open, revealing a large, well-built man dressed in a blue officer's uniform. Within sight, both men quickly stood at attention and gave the superior officer their full respect.

"At ease, men!" He simply said in a gruff manner before turning towards the captain. "Captain Sloan, are the preparations finished?"

"The troops are ready, Sir! All weapons systems have been optimized and ready for use!" He explained. "We are ready to head out on your orders."

"Excellent!" He turned to the calmer of the two. "Commander Barton, is your ambush unit ready?"

A smirk came to his face, "Oh they're ready, General! I had to basically give them drills to do to remedy their restlessness, as well as the ones who are already stationed on earth!"

"Be on high alert, gentlemen. As soon as we begin I demand flawless results. I want to send the entire galaxy a message! I want them all to know that Syrallian army is back in full force and that mean everything going exactly the way we've planned. I don't want any stone left unturned. I don't want an inch of land left untouched. I want nothing left overlooked! Nothing! Is that clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Both subordinates saluted their superior officer as he let out a small smile.

**Downtown Coast City, Grand Festival.**

"Why?"

That was the only question she's been asking herself the entire time. Why? Why did she volunteer to do this again? Oh that's right. She thought the costumes looked cute. After all, it wasn't everyday she could become a real-life fairytale princess that is adored by the people. Okay, not really but at least she looked the part. Her long, platinum-blonde locks tied up into a sophisticated bun with some strands of her hair braided and wrapped around as well as the addition of jewels and glitter for decoration. Let's not forget about, of course, the actual outfit. Her pink gown was basically from the Victorian era or something like that. What would she know? She didn't pay much attention to her history lessons. This was supposed to be a play for the little kids! This was supposed to be the performance that would jumpstart her future acting career… if she'd get one.

Today, there was supposed to be a re-enactment of a story: The Frog Prince. True, it wasn't anything major, but at least it was acting experience that she could put down on her resume. Everyone was supposed to be here at 9 O'clock sharp, ready to rehearse. Apparently the prince missed the memo. Well, it was either that or he decided to call in sick, whatever reason that may be. Now she was supposed to find a replacement prince for the final scene! It was a good thing that she was allowed to pick any person she wanted, after all! She didn't want to kiss some ugly, slimy, disgusting person! She did have three potential candidates, but however… One just wanted to cop a feel on the princess! The other had prior engagement and the third… well… She had asked him, "How about you become my sweet prince?" He replied, "How about you get some brains!" Talk about a total meanie! And now she was back where she started. No prince! Just where was she going to find a prince anyway?

"Ya could be a bit nicer."

"I'm already am being a bit nicer. I've been smiling so much my face hurt! I mean, exactly what did I do to her to get into her crosshairs!"

"Well, there is the whole placement exam thing we all took freshman year…"

"She really needs to let it go. I mean c'mon, GTFOI"

"GTFOI?"

"**G**et **T**he **F**…Oh forget! Let's not have that snob ruin this great day!"

She quickly rushed over to the source of the voices as she hid behind a brick building that served as a coffee house. There were two of them. One of them being an African American young man in dreadlocks, the other a strong, buff Caucasian man with a crewcut, having a good few inches over the first! She didn't care which one of them she picked, but it was safe to say that she found her prince. Even if they didn't want to do it, they were going to become the Prince the frog turns into after the kiss! Whether they liked it or not!

As she picked up the front of her dress, she ran as fast as she could in her pink slingback heels. Already she was regretting her decision of wardrobe. She could've worn her black ballet flats instead, but no! "It wouldn't look so great with the dress," she said. Who was going to notice anyway? It wasn't that she couldn't run in them. She's done this so many times already. In fact she had gotten so used to them they didn't even hurt anymore… or at least didn't feel the pain. Enough about her fashion sense! The show was going to go on and it would have a prince! She would be getting a prince!

"Ya gotta know when to hold it back, man!" Brad advised his friend.

Zack threw his hands up, "I've been holding it! In fact if I were to act any more humble, everyone would send me to a therapist worried about my lack of self-esteem! Besides, it's like my dad always said. 'You can't make everyone happy! Damned if ya do, damed if ya don't!'"

"Anyway, just try to at least be civil to her. Sure he's laid back, but Dr. Parker's patience with you two bickerin' is mighty thin at this point." Brad was interrupted by a pair of hands grabbing the loins of his tank top and yanking him downward… "Sam Hell?"

"Hmm…" He saw a short, blonde girl examining him as if he was some new discovery or something. Who was this girl and why was she dressed like she was at some Renaissance Fair? Please don't say that they've walked into it by mistake… "You're a bit too big to be a prince, but you'll do!"

"Say wha?" Brad shook his head. "Sorry, but Ah'm not into that medieval stuff!"

"Aww… But you're my last hope to be my prince!" He heard her whine. Was she one of those girls who'd just whine and whine and whine until she got her way, or even using a freaking pity-face just to bring out the guilt?

"Last hope? Ah'm sure there are other guys around! How 'bout my pal Zack over here!" He gestured towards his friend.

She looked on, jerking her head a bit. "Well? Where is he?"

"Girl, he's right-" Brad finally looked at the spot where his friend was… or so-called friend rather as he wasn't there! "Why that sonnuva… He ran! Darn it!"

"Looks like you're the prince for me!" She grabbed his arm. "Now let's go! Your audience awaits…"

"Wait! Hold on! Ah-Ah'm not-" Brad's attempts to explain were futile as surprisingly, the girl's grip was surprisingly strong. He had to give the girl credit for that, though. But still, now he was going to be dragged into some crummy play, and it was all Zack's fault! Damn him. 'Zack, next time Ah see ya, prepare to be terminated!' As the two were on their way, on top of a building, Zack watched on.

"Sorry Brad…" He let out a semi-mock sigh, "But I'm not in the mood to be a part of some stupid play…" If he stayed, it would've probably been him who'd be stuck as being that girl's prince. Then he'd have to put a lot of time in remembering lines and cues and stage positions, not to mention wear a silly outfit. He knew how Viki Highwind was at school during drama club. He's heard the talks about her over-eccentric attitude and somewhat ditzy behavior. Too much for his tastes! Besides, the play would be just too much work for him, and if he wanted to do that much he'd be in class right now. He had to give himself a pat on the back for his evasive skills, though. The art of teleportation… A slacker's best friend…

**Space Station: Omega, Outside Planet Syral**

"General, we are ready to commence on your orders!" A lone officer informed him of the completion of the preparations as his superior office gave a smirk.

"From the reports of our spies, Earth's defenses are a mild concern at most, so we should have little to no problem breaking through. Begin the operation at once!"

"Sir!"

As he watched the lower-ranked officer leave, he glanced on the monitors. An image of earth was currently shown, as well as the red spots that represented all active defense stations around the planet's orbit. Because of things quieting down within the galaxies due to the end of the war, their defenses were – how should one put it – lacking at best. But it wasn't their fault, at least not much. It was common knowledge for one to grow weak through peaceful times. However, General Pride was not one who knew of peace, let alone growing weak. Especially when one had to work endlessly to rebuild the reputation of an army that was once known and feared. Unfortunately for Earth, the whole galaxy will soon learn that lesson at its expense…

Within a light beep sound, Pride once again glanced onto the screen, noticing several small light dots appearing, scattered throughout the map of Earth. A sinister smile formed across his lips. It appears while they attack Earth, they could fulfill another one of his long-term ambitions…

**Downtown Coast City, Town Square**

"How do Ah keep gettin' mahself into these messes." Brad asked himself as he looked into the mirror. He was wearing the traditional attire of all storybook princes: Tight Black pants tucked into a pair of black boots which just covers his knees. White frilly shirt, save for the royal cape and of course the crown. He had to admit that he didn't look half bad, but he still couldn't help but feel stupid in this outfit. Not to self, beat Zack into a bloodied pulp.

"And how's my lovely dashing prince looking?" The pseudo princess walked in, checking on, as she put it, the savior of the performance.

"Is it a good time to let y'all know Ah'm prone to stage fright?"

Viki giggled, "Good one! Now just practice your lines and it'll be a snap! Since you don't make your appearance until around the end, you have plenty of time!"

'Well at least Ah'll have time to get this character…As much of a wuss he is…' Brad watched as Viki walked away. Presumingly to rehearse her own parts, seeing that she was playing the lead role. 'Good thing the frog's gotta VA….' The girl wasn't that bad, but still a bit weird. Like those kinds of people who were a part of the glee club back in high school! While perky people seem to annoy Zack, Brad on the other hand was intrigued. Just why were they so…happy all the time?

Maybe it was out of guilt, but from the crowd Zack sat in the front row of the audience. He had to support his friend's performance in this play, no matter how corny the concept seemed on paper. It was his fault he pushed Brad into this so he had to sit through this. From within sight of the camera one member of the audience held up, Zack became a bit worried about his longtime friend. For his own sake, Brad better been prepared and knew all the lines down and try to hide that thick accent of his. 'Cause if he screwed up, it'll be all on tape! And that'll give Brad even more motivation to give him a rock-hard ass kicking. He wasn't in the mood for broken bones, not today.

He had to admit the scenery looked nice. An outdoor stage, steel folding chairs, plus the wonderful sunny day outside… It's always nice to leave the University just to enjoy a fine day like this! To enjoy all that nature offered. From the pearly-white clouds, the fresh blue sky, a squad of black combat aircrafts, and bird chirping…

Wait a minute, since when were a squad of black combat aircrafts enjoyable, unless you were insane enough to enjoy the irritating sound they made? The sound of lasers firing and causing an avalanche on top of a building should've been took as a warning sign of something bad was about to happen.

Brad noticed the unwanted flyers as well. On one hand, he was thankful that due to this attack he wouldn't have to go through the play. On other hand, people were bound to get hurt. From hearing the screams, these visitors were no joke! True he and Zack could defend themselves, with his rock form being able to hold off their attacks and Zack can instantly transmit himself out of harm's way! But for everyone else, he wasn't sure. It was true in this day of age that just about everyone on this planet had special abilities such as flight or x-ray vision. But for some, who wasn't blessed with such gifts, or those who were but have costly drawbacks were in big trouble! But he couldn't do something on his own. Even with Zack they were just two people. The best they could do was to lead others to safety. They weren't superheroes, or heroes for that matter.

"Oh no! This is just great! The play's ruined! My career! My dreams! Everything…" He heard Viki whine, almost in hysterics. From what he saw, she was looking forward to the play. A shame that it was all but cancelled now. But her acting crazy wasn't helping much. With that in mind, he walked over and grabbed the blonde by the shoulder before shaking her.

"Calm down! We need to skedaddle on outta here before we get ourselves killed!" He looked around, only, within a single blink, to find his friend managing to show up. "Was wonderin' where ya were…"

"Looking forward to your big-screen debut, but that's all up in smoke! Thanks to those guys…" Zack pointed upward. "Just who did our planetary leader piss off this time?"

"Who are those guys anyway?" Viki watched the aircrafts flying by. Whoever they were, they had a lot to answer for, for ruining her performance!

Brad narrows his eyes, "From the style and artillery, those look to be Syrallian fighters."

She blinked, "Syrallian?"

"Yep! Planet Syral has one of the most powerful armies throughout the system."

"That still doesn't explain why the hell they're attacking us for!" Zack shook his head. "How about we just leave before we all get ourselves killed from standing out here like a bunch of idiots!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Viki proceeded to make a haste escape, running as fast as her heels would let her. However, she was blocked off by a small group of figures, five of them to be exact. Each of them appeared to have a humanoid shape, but was covered in metallic black plating, save for the black visor that allowed them to see their targets, or in this case – _them_. "Maybe we should take another route…"

"Too late! We're surrounded!" Brad noted, as more of the Syrallian soldiers arrived.

"Wonderful…" Zack sighed. If he knew that this would've happen, he would've just gone to class. Talk about a drag… There's at least around ten of those guys and only three of them. He knew that he and Brad could defend themselves, but Viki, from what he's heard of her, wasn't exactly the fighting type. 'Oh what the hell…' He thought. He never tried this before, but it was their only chance to get out of there alive unscathed. He'd rather be in class than deal with this. He extended his arms as he grabbed his two companions, Brad with his right and Viki with his left, as he closed his eyes. If there was a god, let alone that liked him, they'd end up back at the school. In a classroom, in the cafeteria, anywhere would be ideal than here right now…

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ Having been brought to a secret base, Zack, Brad, and Viki find themselves granted a new opportunity. However, they are met with their first task: Sergeant George Santos of the Syrallian Army. A.K.A. The Rock Titan of Terror!

**Chapter 2:** First Battle! Armor of Rock


	2. First Battle! Armor of Rock!

**Chapter 2:** First Battle! Armor of Rock!

Blue eyes opened as their owner looked around. 'Are we dead' were her first thoughts after waking up! As she looked down, seeing that she was still in her dress, at least she knew she was alive, aches aside. Question was where was she? This place was rather dark, and honestly creepy. She wondered where did Zack and Brad go? 'Don't tell me they just left me here! Or are they-' She gasped. They couldn't be gone! They couldn't have just left her all alone! What kind of guys would just leave a poor lady alone, a princess at that?

Viki shook her head. Now was not the time to be in character. This was serious. She had to either A) Find Zack and Brad, or at least either one of them, or B) Find a way out of this place. Speaking of Zack, was this his doing? She knew he could teleport, but out of all places why here? Or was he aiming for somewhere else?

"Couldn' ya try a bit harder to get to the school?"

She blinked, 'That was Brad's voice!' She quickly rose to her feet as she walked towards the source of the voice. Hopefully she wouldn't run into any rats…

"Give me a break will ya? I've never tried teleporting two people with me before!" That was Zack's voice this time. At least Viki knew she wasn't entirely alone.

"Ah'm just saying, now we're in a place where we don' know anything about!"

"Thank you Captain Obvious! I was trying to aim for the school, but it failed." Zack sighed, "I have a lot of practicing to do…"

"Why don'cha give it 'nother try?"

"No dice! That last attempt drained me! Now I can't even teleport myself even if I wanted to!"

"Well that bites."

Viki continued to rush over until she felt the high heel of her shoe stepping on a hard object…

"EEP!"

Both boys hold off their discussion as they turned to the source. "Looks like she's up…" Zack noted.

"She a'right?" Brad asked in concern as he noticed a glowing light. "Sam Hell?"

Zack groaned, "Now what…" Just what he needed: more things to happen! As if being in this place wasn't bad enough…

Recovering, Viki sat up as she saw the now-glowing object she stepped on. It had a white crystal-like appearance, save for the matching illuminating light.

"Just in case, be prepared to fight!" Zack advised.

"Y'don' have to tell me twice!" Brad cracked his knuckles. If there was anything that was to mess with the three of them, it was going down. Both boys soon stopped as they were in awe, much like Viki, who watched as…what apparently was a small white squirrel crawled up to her shoulder. "It's…It's…"

"Cute!" Viki cooed as with her index finger, she petted the newly born (Or was it revived) creature. Within the stroke, the squirrel nuzzled its head against her neck.

"How nice, Viki's gotta pet! Now let's see if we can actually find a way out of-" At that moment, the lights instantly turned on as the entire place was illuminated. "Here…"

"This is really starting to look strange…" Viki placed a hand near her new pet, ready to defend it even at the risk of her own life if it came down to it.

"Head's up, we got trouble comin' our way!" Brad stood in a stance, ready if needed to be to transform and obliterate the intruder, whatever it was…

"Welcome… I've been expecting you!"

All three young adults turned to see a man who appeared in his forties, dress in a black suit. His semi-spiked hair appeared to be white, probably from premature graying. They didn't know whom he was or what to make of him. Was he friend or foe? He seemed to be trustworthy but given the situation they were in, you never could be too cautious.

"Please relax. I mean you no harm." The way he spoke was calm enough. But then again, maybe it was a trap. Then once again, maybe it wasn't.

"Okay then, so what's this 'bout you expectin' us?" Brad asked. It was strange for someone, let alone whom they've just met, to all of a sudden expect them. Pretty suspicious…

"Bradley Howard. You're a Junior of CCU and have the ability to transform your skin into stone, becoming nigh invulnerable."

Zack scoffed, "Tell me about it…" He remembered how close he had often come to breaking his bones just from hitting him during their fights.

He continued. "Victoria Highwind. You're also a Junior of CCU and you have the ability to shapeshift into any animal of your choosing."

The blonde blinked, "Okay, Stalker-much?"

"And you Zack Tyler, you're-"

Zack interrupted him, "I know: 'A Junior of CCU! Has the ability to teleport from a simple location.'" He raised an eyebrow. "Is that about it?"

"I was also going to mention that your power has potential but as of right now it is the least developed of the three." The older man informed, much to the chagrin of the young student.

Viki slightly winced, "Oooh…"

"Burn…" Brad muttered as Zack's expression wasn't the most optimistic.

"'Least developed?'" Offense was in his voice. "I think I've done pretty damn good with my powers if I say so myself."

"If this were true, when you tried to teleport your friends with you, why did you all ended up here instead of your intended location?"

"He gotta point there, Zack!" Brad informed his friend. Never mind the last teleportation drained him, if his power was as developed as he claimed it was, wouldn't Zack had teleported them to the school the first time?

"Not so great, huh?" Viki chirped. It wasn't that Zack had a huge ego or anything. It's just that despite not knowing his ability better than Zack himself, the old guy probably knew pretty much more about it then he did.

"Okay, since you obviously know more than I do, tell me how to develop my powers." Zack suggested, unsuccessfully trying to hide his humiliation.

"That is for another time. We must hurry!" He quickly walked over to a metal door as he placed a hand onto a nearby scanner. After several seconds…

"_Access Granted…"_

"Should we go with him?" Viki asked her two compatriots.

Brad turned to his shorter friend, "Well Zack?"

"Do we have a choice?" He replied as the three proceeded to follow him.

…

Inside, the three students were in awe. From what they've seen from the abandoned parking garage, this was the last thing any of them expected. Outside of the door they've just went through, it was a complete dump. Inside was the complete opposite. There was a large monitor on one side, and another on the opposite side, but it was part of a computer. Other traces of advance technology were also visible.

"I apologize for the abrupt end to the grand tour, but we must hurry." The older gentleman informed. "We have much to talk about."

Zack blinked "About what?"

"About what's happening to this planet, let alone this city!" He answered, walking towards the big computer.

"Hold on!" Brad narrowed his eyes, "We ain't movin' 'nother step! We don' know who you are!"

"My apologies! My name is Ezekiel Lyons, a researcher and historian. During my time in this lab, I've kept surveillance of the activity surrounding the planets in this galaxy."

"And you couldn't have let anyone else known that the Syrallian Army would be attacking?" Zack asked. If he were doing surveillance, he would've known that they'd be attacking. That just cost him a lot of trust point.

"During the time, all of earth's security and surveillance systems were hacked, preventing any possible detection of the Syrallians' ambitions." Ezekiel closed his eyes as he stroked his chin, "He must've planned this with caution…"

Viki raised an eyebrow. "He?"

Once at the computer, within a few keystrokes from Ezekiel, on the monitor showed a large man with a slim, but muscular build dressed in blue officer's uniform, save for a few tassels on the shoulders. His hair was cut down to stubble as a scar could be seen across his right cheek. "This is General Vincent Pride of the Syrallian army. Known to be one of the toughest, fearless leaders throughout the Solar System!" He sighed, "And one of the biggest war mongers as well…"

"So what does Pride want with earth?" Zack asked.

"Many years ago, a war broke out between the planets. The majority of the planets wanted to conquer the others and have their home world established as the dominant force through the galaxy. Earth decided to remain neutral, but only one could stay out of issues that were of as much magnitude as this for so long before being forced into action. At the end, all major cities in their respected planets were left in ruins. The final bout came down to Earth and Syral, with Earth in the end getting the upper hand."

"So why's he attackin' now?" Brad stroked his chin.

"Most likely he's after the Minizords."

"Minizords?" All three teens responded in unison.

"Half machine, half organic creatures. They may be small, but their power has so much potential that the tides of war could be changed within an instant."

"And I'm guessing that Pride obtaining them will be bad thing, right?" Viki asked.

Ezekiel sighed, "If no one is quick to oppose him, Earth's days will be numbered. Not to mention the fate of the other planets…" His eyes noticed the small squirrel from before running up her dress before perching on Viki's shoulder, much to her slight surprise.

"Hey, I was wondering where you went." She cooed, stroking its head with her finger.

"I see that one of the Minizords has already begun to bond with you." Ezekiel noted as the squirrel rubbed its head against her neck.

'I don't like where this is going…' Zack sighed, having a bad feeling about this. He turned towards Brad, seeing that questionable look in his eye. 'Please don't ask what I think you're going to ask…'

"So what does all this have to do with us?" Brad asked as Zack mentally groaned.

'He just had to ask…'

"You three will go and find the Minizords and stop Pride and the Syrallian army." Ezekiel explained. "You will be the earth's first, last, and only line of defense…"

"So, knowing that Earth has an entire army that is probably more experienced and more capable, you're going to put the fate of the world in the hands of college students?" Zack asked.

"Exactly!"

"You do know if anything happens to us, it'll be on your head, right?"

"I'm aware of that."

"Call me a skeptic, but I don't see how a rocky prince, a shape-shifting princess, and a guy who can't even teleport to the restroom if he wanted to can stop the Syrallian army." Zack referenced his current condition and Brad and Viki's stage costumes.

"I'm with Zack here." Viki nodded. "I mean I can handle running in heels, but fighting in them too?"

Brad added his opinion, "Ah'm gonna have to go with the crowd on this one!"

"Your doubts are justified, but I have just the thing that will protect you." Ezekiel walked over to a closed metal box that was place on top of a black table. Once it was in his hands, he opened the box to reveal three color-coded devices. "These are your Sigma Morphers. Use them and you will become Power Rangers."

Zack held his hands up, "Okay, back the hell up! Are you telling me that we're going to be Power Rangers?" He had read through the history archives at the Coast City Library (He was bored that day) about there being past incarnations of them. There was even once an organization with the purpose to train future Power Rangers. But to become one, out of all places, in this city? Pushing the believability much?

"Wow… Power Rangers?" Brad gasped. He used to hear legends about them how they saved not only the earth but the universe as well. Now to find himself having a chance to be a part of that legacy… Wouldn't that be an opportunity of a lifetime!

"Awesome!" Viki executed a small twirl. While the whole idea of this was beyond dangerous, who knows? This could actually be a bit fun. And rangers did always have the coolest-looking uniforms. So it was no surprise that Viki was the first one to reach into the box and picked up the pink Sigma Morpher. "And it even has my favorite color!" Vike showed it to the squirrel. "Look, Mommy got a new morpher!"

"Now this is sumthin' that don' happen every day…" Brad grabbed the green Sigma Morpher as he examined it. 'Definitely sumthin' that don' happen everyday.'

"While I'm really skeptical about this, I'm not going to let some disgruntled army thrash our planet, let alone our city either!" Zack grabbed the remaining morpher, the red Sigma Morpher.

"With your Sigma Morphers each is a key card, for security reasons they are required for activation. To activate them, slide them through the morpher and yell out "Sigma Morph Execute." Ezekiel explained.

"And then we'll be strong enough to take on the Syrallian army?" Viki asked.

"Precisely." Ezekiel eyed the perched squirrel. "You can use this Minizord to find the others."

"So you mean that squirrel's a searcher for them other Minizords?"

"Correct Brad." Ezekiel's eyes narrowed, face showing all signs of seriousness. "Now go. The fate of this planet and the galaxy is in your hands…"

"Yes sir." The new rangers nodded as they quickly left for the Minizord, leaving the older man to sigh. Hopefully they will survive this battle.

**Mount Thunder, Outside Coast City**

"Any sign of it?" A soldier dressed in a black S.W.A.T. uniform asked as two more, dressed in the same manner followed up the path in the rather-large gray mountain. It had to be around here somewhere. Scanners were picking up its energy and the equipment they just got was brand new fresh out of production. Maybe they weren't looking hard enough.

"I dunno sir!" One of them replied, "We can't seem to find it anywhere!"

"Well, keep looking!" The first soldier ordered. Obviously the leader of this mission! "The General will have our asses if we don't find the thing!"

"And what makes you think we won't have them?"

"The hell?" The leader turned around and saw the source of the declaration as he rolled his eyes. "What are you kids doing here?"

"To tell you an' yer army to mosey on outta here!" Brad declared.

"What right do you have coming here trashing our town," Viki added.

"So you better leave now or you'll suffer the consequences," Zack finished.

"Says who? You three brats?" The soldier turned to his cohorts while pointing at them. "Can you believe these kids?" That comment alone was enough for them to burst out laughing.

"They need a lesson in respecting their elders." Another replied.

"Maybe they need to be put in time out!" One more added.

"Hold on Men, I think I have the thing to keep those kids company!" The leader held up a small black mechanical sphere-shaped device. "Hope you enjoy toys kids, because it'll be the last toy you'll ever play with!" As he threw it towards them, the device began to shake uncontrollably. Within moments the seal burst open as a large troop of armored soldiers, the same caliber of soldiers the three have seen before appeared. "These Sy-Bots will keep you company! Meanwhile, we'll keep searching for that Minizord!"

As the newly produced army moved closer, the three kids got a good sight of their number. There were 15…20 of them! And that wasn't counting the soldiers who were resuming their search!

Viki winced at their superior number to theirs, "It figures we'd take on a number as big as this…"

"Looks like we're gon' have a battle on our hands!" Brad narrows his eyes.

"Stay sharp! They may be the same as before, but we don't exactly know what they're capable of…" Zack clenched his fists…

Viki's whining continued, "But I don't wanna fight in these heels! I just got them!"

"Then lose 'em!" Brad suggested. "Kick'em off!"

"But my feet are sensitive!" Viki winced imagining the rocks tearing through her sensitive soles.

"What the hell? Couldn't you've changed into more appropriate combat attire beforehand? Do ya realize we 'rein a life-or-death situation? Do ya realize we're about to battle?"

"Wouldn't you think I would've done that if I had the chance?" She snapped back, "You don't have to snap at me! Sheesh!"

"Enough!" Zack couldn't take the bickering any longer, especially when they should be fighting them instead of each other.

"Look, all I'm saying…" Viki glanced down at her morpher, "Shouldn't we try to morph by now?"

Brad nodded, "She gotta good point there!"

"At last we're agreeing on something…" Zack nodded as the three raised the wrists that their morphers were strapped to before grabbing their respective key cards. "Let's get our morph on!"

"Huh?"

"Same Hell?"

Zack narrowed his eyes in both frustration and humiliation at the disturbed stares he was getting. "Work with me here, it's only the first day…" He resumed, "Ready!"

Brad narrowed his eyes, "Ready!"

As did Viki, "Ready!"

The three raised their arms before crossing them in front of them, switching the Key Cards and morphers to opposite sides…

"SIGMA MORPH…"

Then proceeded to slide their cards into the designated slot…

"EXECUTE!" Upon activation, the color-coded lights on their respective morphers began to illuminate, covering their holders.

Viki's body was covered in a pink light as she levitated before going into a spin. During this, a pink digital matrix began to pour onto her. When it finished, she landed on the ground she kicked forward with her left leg before standing on her right, her left knee raised, her left arm forward and right arm back. "SIGMA PINK!"

Similarly, Brad's body was covered in a green light as he proceeded to levitate and spin. After a green digital matrix covered his body, he dropped down with a curled right arm upward before going into a pose of his own, legs spread apart and crouched with the right leg place a bit back, arms forward with the right arm pulled back a bit, and his two forefingers on each figure bent. "SIGMA GREEN!"

Like the others, Zack found his body covered in a red light before levitating and spinning. Next, a red digital matrix covered his body before raising his right hand in a fist, then dropping down into a kneeled position, his left knee forward. Left arm was forward, but bent across and the right arm was raised and back. "SIGMA RED!"

The newly-morphed rangers stood tall and proud! The suits themselves were primarily their respective rangers' color, except for the inside of the legs, (And, in Viki's case, the center of the skirt), necks and a "V" pattern from the shoulders down to the belt being in black as well as from the top of their boots, save for a black band across the top of their boot-clad feet. The tops of their gloves were also in a black "V" pattern. Most notably were the jewels on the forehead of their helmets, also being in their respective colors.

"Wow!" Viki jumped up within sight of her new ranger suit. "This is so cool! Love the look!"

"Ah feel so much stronger!" Brad examined his gloved fists.

"Not bad.. I can work with this!" Zack stated in an amused tone. Being morphed, they would be must stronger and tougher. He was skeptical about them getting involved, but now he believed that they could survive… At least this time.

"Power Rangers!" One of them exclaimed out of shock and worry, having seen what had just happened. "Nobody told me about them showing up!"

Another was quick to agree with his comrade's feelings. "If this job meant dealing with them, I wouldn't even want to join you guys to do laundry!"

Their leader wasn't feeling the same way. "Power Rangers, eh? Let's just see how powerful they really are!" He didn't know why those two morons were scared. Behind those fancy, colorful suits they were still a trio of snot-nosed brats. Besides, he didn't believe that the legendary Power Rangers were as powerful as they say they were. "Sy-Bots, attack!"

"Looks like it's go time!" Zack fell into a fighting pose.

Brad cracked his knuckles. "Time to bust sum bots!"

"Let's show them what we're made of!" Viki declared as they proceeded to rush towards the foot soldiers, ready to defend their city, the planet, and the galaxy.

Zack rushed up to five of Sy-Bots grouped together. "Bring it on!" He ducked a blow from one bot as he began to throw a series of punches and kicks to the other four. Within a flip, he executed a leg sweep on the bots before executing a jump spinning kick. As he was about to land the kick, his foot was engulfed in flames as it then connected to the face of the battle droid, causing it to be engulfed as well.

"What the?" Zack looked down, only to find his foot was no longer on fire. "Well that was interesting…"

"A'right boys, come an' get it!" Confident in his newfound strength, Brad rushed through the lines of the Sy-Bots. He grabbed one of them before tossing the droid onto another group. "Ah'll take y'all out!" Brad jumped into the air as he proceeded to land a flying punch directly on top of a bot. However, as he landed the blow, he did more as the bots head from the force of the green ranger's punch led for it to hit the ground hard, causing a small quake knocking down the other Sy-Bots. "Sam Hell? Ah'm stronger than Ah thought!"

Viki landed a successful flurry of kicks to the bots before breaking out into a tumble of more kicks onto the enemies. "And now for my next trick!" She leaped into the air as she went for a spin. Whatever it was she was going for, it would be out of the question as she soon found herself floating…no flying. "Umm…is this supposed to happen?" As she was still spinning, Viki wasn't sure what to make of this development, but decided to put it to use. As she moved towards them, the Sy-Bots were drawn into the hurricane before eventually being thrown over the horizon. As the speed of her spinning decreased, she descended to the ground gradually. "I feel dizzy…"

Zack jumped over to Viki from her left. "Well that takes care of them."

"Now all's left are those guys!" Brad added, coming from her right.

"Uhh…"

"Ummm…"

The leading officer shook his head at his subordinates' reluctance. "Show some pride! You're Syrallian officers damn it!"

"So what? We know when to count our losses, when we're in over our heads!" The officers began to retreat, leaving the lone officer alone.

"Fine, who needs you cowards anyway!" His eyes narrowed, thinking about the bonus Pride would give him for brining in a Minizord as well as defeating the Power Rangers. A promotion came to mind…

"You wanna try us?" Viki taunted.

"There's a lot more where that came from!" Brad added.

"We'll wipe out anyone who threatens our planet!" Zack added.

"You think you brats can take me? You got guts I'll give you that." The leader extended his arms as all of a sudden various rocks began to fly towards him.

Zack shook his head at the sight, "What the-?"

"That boy's crazy!" Brad noted.

"Is this guy for real?" Viki watched as the rocks began to cover the man from head to toe. Within seconds, as if it was within an instant, he had grown a good two feet taller as his mass increased significantly. "Okay, is anyone freaked out here?" She asked at the end of his transformation. He now had the appearance of a rock golem save for a few spikes on his arms and shoulders.

"Aren't so confident now, are you brats?" He pounded his closed fists together as a loud booming sound emitted, knocking the rangers down by its force.

"Boomin' fists ain't 'nuff to intimidate me!" Brad rose back to his feet.

"Wait Brad, we can't attack him physically!" Zack called out but the green ranger paid no heed.

"Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, are you!" The golem pulled his arm back, ready to show this brat who's boss…

"Just try it!" Brad was ready. That guy thought that he was so tough. That he was so strong. He's had a newsflash for him: So was he! As he saw the punch coming, he shifted his entire weight and power into his hand as they soon met with the rocky fist.

"Whoa!" Zack and Viki both were amazed at Brad's strength as he was actually fighting back against the force of this officer's punch. Zack knew Brad was strong, but maybe he was much stronger than either of them gave him credit for. However, after a few more seconds, Brad's strength was proven to be no match for the rock golem as he found himself flying back to his teammates.

"'Kay, guy's stronger than Ah thought!" He recovered.

"Now that we know that he's stronger than us, anybody up for running like hell while we're still, I dunno… IN ONE PIECE?" Viki panicked. At this point, seeing that he was stronger, and because he was covered in rock he was so invulnerable that attacking him would actually hurt _them_ more if anyone, there was no way they could beat him!

"Just because he's stronger than us doesn't mean he can beat us! We're going to have to put our heads together in this one…" Zack pressed a button on his wrist communicator that came with the suit hidden beneath his left glove, "Ezekiel, we gotta problem…"

"_I know…."_ He replied from the other end, as various typing sounds could be heard. _"Sergeant George Santos. Known as the Rock Titan of Terror in the Syrallian army. His genetic ability is mastery over rock and the terrain itself!"_

"So this guy could literally pull the rug under us if he wanted to?" Viki asked.

"_Exactly. But there is one way to defeat him: Zack, Viki, you two are aware of your elemental powers am I correct?"_

"I remember my foot being on fire for a second! So that's what it was!" Zack realized.

"And me spinning myself dizzy!" Viki added.

"_If you both can access those powers and use them together, you have a good chance of taking him down."_

"But how do we access them anyway?"

"_Look deep within and you'll be able to use them. Good luck, and may the power protect you…"_

With the communication cut off, Zack began to think about how they could win against him. The key in defeating him was apparently combining the powers of Wind and Fire, but how, let alone with the amount of time their opponent was giving them, or lack thereof? He couldn't think much longer as a stoned fist moving at a fast speed collided with them, knocking the three back hard as the rolled down the mountain trail.

"Okay, this is really embarrassing…" Viki whined as they recovered…

"Can't take more of them…" Zack shook his head as he continued to come up with a plan. He better thought of something fast because the next time he strikes, they might not be so lucky. "Viki…"

She turned to him, "Hmm?"

"That spinning thing you did, could you do it again?"

"Umm…" She sighed, "I dunno…"

"Just try!" Zack turned to Brad, "Brad you'll have to distract him."

"You gotta plan or sumthin'?" He replied?

"Well, if everything goes well this is our best option." He informed.

"You given up yet?" Santos taunted as he walked closer.

"Ah'm not!" Brad rushed over to the stone-armored soldier. 'You better be right 'bout this…'

"And here I thought the Power Rangers would just run! Good to see that you still got balls! Well…At least one of you does!" Santos prepared to battle as Brad ran near. As someone who could harden his skin into rock, he knew about the side effects of having such rocky armor, one that would give him an advantage. What he excels in strength and defense, he lacks speed. Fortunately, the green ranger is without this problem. He already knew that he couldn't out-muscle him, so he'll have to out-maneuver him…

As Santos unleashed another punch, Brad grabbed the stoned fist to vault himself over and land a flying kick onto his head. As expected, however, the kick did little to damage him, as the only thing that happened, if anything, was the soldier moving a mere inch backward. "Is that all you got?"

"Ah haven't even got started!" Brad dodged a few more punches, as well as avoiding a fist pound as he used the downed arm as a step to jump onto his head. This should give Zack and Viki enough time to access their hidden powers Ezekiel was talking about…he hoped.

His hands extended, Zack tried as hard as he could to summon the flames like he inadvertently did earlier. However, he wasn't having much luck. 'Would be nice if you'd at least give me a sign that I'm on the right track…' He was hoping for a flame, even a spark would be satisfying than what he was getting. The only thing that was close to his current goal was that his hands, but that was from the sweat from the heat inside of his gloves. Talk about a drag…

Viki wasn't having much luck either. At this point, she was spinning in order to remember the feel of her wind powers as before. The only thing she was accomplishing was looking silly with her twirling. "I'm trying as hard as I can but it doesn't seem to help!"

"We have to keep trying…" Zack took in a deep breath. They had to keep trying. Brad couldn't keep it up much longer…

"If y'all got sumthin, y'all better do it now!" The green ranger just barely missed that blow by the skin of his teeth. "Ah don't know if Ah can keep this up much longer!"

"Hang on Brad!" Zack focused once more. Damn it this was ridiculous! What was he doing wrong? Why wasn't he getting anything? What did he have to do, say some magic word like Abra-Kadabra, Galwit Mysto, Bippity bobbity boo, or something like that?

"Okay, one more time!" Viki extended her arms as she went to spin one last time. If this didn't work, she gave up. At this point she was losing hope! This wasn't fair. They couldn't just die! Not on their first mission. Besides she was too young to die… If there was any divine spirit that liked her, she'll get her powers to work. Apparently there was a divine spirit that liked her, because at that moment, she felt herself levitate once more as her spinning speed increased. She did it! She managed to access her powers and managed to create a small hurricane around her! Celebrating however would have to wait…

If it weren't for the red helmet, one could see the frustration on Zack's face as he tried once again. However, there was no result. Just why the hell was he trying in the first place? He knew Brad was stronger than him so he could take a few blows from Santos and his damned armor. And he'd be happy for Viki being able to access her elemental powers if he could do the same. But he couldn't. It was useless. He was useless. Viki was able to make a small hurricane, yet he couldn't even light a damn spark. Just thinking about his limitations added to his already building frustration, even making him angry. He felt his burning rage go through within him, moving within himself to his hands as they began to glow a bit. Wait, were his hands just glowing? And were small flames rising from his hands just now? This was it! This was it! He saw that hurricane that was moving towards Santos and Brad as at that moment he came up with an idea. "Viki, get outta there!"

"What?" From within the twister, Viki managed to see Zack's now ablaze hands. Looks like he was successful too!

"Unless you want to become the charcoal ranger, you better move now!" Zack didn't know how long he could keep this up, but if Viki wouldn't move then damn it he'd had no choice but to fry her inside of the hurricane.

"Okay…" Viki used whatever power she had left to remove herself from inside of the hurricane. Just what was Zack planning, anyway?

"Brad, get outta the way!"

"Y'all don' have to tell me twice!" Brad started his retreat, being as careful as possible not to get caught up into the twister that was heading Santo's way.

"You think that a little twister can pick up this rock?" He taunted. Those rangers were going to need a lot more than wind to beat him.

"No, but how 'bout this?" Zack unleashed a stream of flames onto the twister as slowly the color of the twister began to change from a clearish white color to a more orange color. 'Let's hope the rocks Santos used for his armor wasn't molten rock…'

Santos flinch a little as the now heated hurricane came closer to him. If it was a mini hurricane, the weight from the rocks would be enough to keep from getting sucked in. But now that it was being heated by the red ranger's flamethrower, being lifted wasn't the issue as the heated twister was only a foot away, he could already feel a good part of his armor melting. He could use rocks for more protection, but with his armor melting he didn't have much invulnerability. "Oh no!"

"Yes, it's working!" Viki cheered as the strong gust engulfed the soldier's best defense was gradually being turned against him. If he would bring out more rocks for his armor, they too would melt from the added heat, and from the look of things, Zack wasn't running out of juice any time soon. The hotter the gust became, the worse it gotten for the Syrallian Soldier.

"Keep it up!" Brad raised a fist, knowing that at this rate they'd emerge victorious in this battle.

"I…CAN'T…TAKE IT…GAHHHHH!" Santos felt his entire armor melting, burning him. If he didn't do something he was toast…literally.

Soon afterwards the flaming gust evaporated, leaving Santos, san armor, unconscious. His uniform was barely left and there were severe burns across his body…

Viki blinked, "Guys…he doesn't seem to be well. Should we…"

"What if he's waitin' for a counter-attack?" Brad added the possibility.

"Tough decision…" Zack thought of the possibilities. On one hand, he was now defenseless and was injured so he couldn't pose a threat. But on the other hand, what if that was just a trap ready to be sprung? He didn't want to make the call, knowing the potential consequences. But since it was him who was in the red suit, it would be him who made the decision. He knew it was selfish, but if he would've known about this difficulty, he would've grabbed the green morpher and let Brad have the trouble instead. Now he would have to deal. "We look for the Minizord, then we'll decide what to do." As much as he didn't want to leave an injured person to die, he didn't want to endanger his team due to human instincts either.

"Okay then, let's get searching!" Viki carefully stepped over the fallen body as the others followed her inside of the cave.

"So where is this thing anyway? Zack looked around in the rather-dark place. He wondered if the helmets came with headlights or something that can help the visibility.

"How 'bout we have Viki use that squirrel thing?" At Brad's mentioning, the small Minizord instantly appeared on Viki's shoulder.

"That's right!" She turned to her small pet. "A Minizord is supposed to be here, can you find it?" Within a small chirp, she watched as the squirrel quickly scurried down as it rushed over a good distance. "Hey, you're going way too fast!"

"Kinda hard to follow when it's dark." Brad reminded as the three rangers soon caught up with the squirrel. Right in front of it was another glowing, crystal like object.

"I think this is it…" Viki replied, a bit unsure about it. While the situation was the same as before, but…

Brad knelt down as he grabbed the glowing object. Within moments he felt the object changing as a light filled within the cave. Once the flash was gone in his hand was, as it appeared to be, a small gray ferret.

"Aww…how cute!" Viki cooed at seeing the newly revealed Minizord.

"Wonder what this lil' fella do." Brad examined the ferret for himself.

"Maybe Ezekiel knows…" Zack turned around, more than ready to leave this cave. It was going to be nightfall soon and the lighting in here was already bad… "Let's go."

The green and pink rangers nodded, agreeing with their leader as they made their trip back to HQ, but first thing first…

"Wait a sec…" Zack stopped as he noticed the occupied spot… Or lack thereof… "What happened to Santos?"

"Maybe sumone helped the guy!" Brad suggested.

"Well at least that's over with…" Viki sighed, "Let head back to HQ so we can go home…"

The other two nodded as the three proceeded to head back to HQ. At least they've won this battle and wouldn't have to worry about Santos. He may've been an enemy, but they couldn't just leave him to die, right? It wasn't as if he was some monster that was only created for destroying Earth…

**Sigma HQ**

"You all show great courage, won your first battle, and successfully recovered the Minizord." Ezekiel explained to the now-unmophed rangers. "But don't let this victory deceive you. While you were victorious today, there are more battles that lay ahead, much tougher than the previous."

'You mean there are more tough battles ahead?' Viki frowned. Sergeant Santos was tough enough, and he's saying that there are others who are even tougher. Maybe she was wrong about the whole ranger thing being a fun experience.

"You still have much to learn and to master your hidden powers. But there is no need to worry, as there will be others who will join you and you will grow together as a team. You all will grow to become powerful and become great rangers one day, but today is not that day." He nodded his head. "I believe you have other obligations."

"We'll we do need to get back to the University." Zack reminded.

"Say Zack, that reminds me…"

"What Brad?"

"During that attack, wouldn't ya think that everyone there would go into a shelter for protection?"

"Of course."

"And wouldn't ya think that the school would do a headcount just to make sure that everyone was accounted for?"

Viki joined in the conversation. "Sure. The University is responsible for the safety and well being of its students."

"I'm not sure about you Viki, but wouldn't they notice that we ditched class today?"

Zack's eyes went wide as his face went pale in realization, "Say wha?"

Viki slightly winced, "Oooh…" Must have picked a bad time to ditch class, huh? Hated to be in their shoes… Then again, seeing as she should've met with the people after the crisis had ended, wouldn't her not being there be considered as her ditching as well? "Oh no…"

"Sorry for the abrupt exit, but we really gotta go!" Zack began to head for the door.

"Nice meetin' ya!" Brad followed…

"We'll keep protecting the planet you here!" As did Viki! Leaving Ezekiel to sigh at the three exiting rangers. The ones who would be the defenders of the universe!

He looked down while shaking his head, closing his eyes, "Kids…" These battles against Pride will prove to be very interesting to say the least.

**Space Station: Omega, Outside Planet Syral**

Santos felt as if his bones were shattering, as he was slammed hard into the cold steel wall. With the burns across his body, he was already in bad shape.

"You have failed me Sergeant." Pride calmly walked forward. His face may not show it, but he was not very trilled with his underling's failure. "I ordered you to obtain the Minizord, but you did not. And now you bring me back with nothing!"

"But sir…" Santos begged. "I-I can explain. I had it under control. Everything was going so well until the rangers show up."

An eyebrow raised, "Power Rangers?"

"Yeah! I had 'em on the ropes, but they managed to melt my armor down, burning me. I would've been toast if I didn't lose the armor."

"You believe that you've escaped the frying pan. But all you have done was placed yourself into the inferno. Due to your failure, it is more than likely that the Power Rangers now are in possession of the Minizord. And for you to retreat back here, without putting up a fight? Where were your troops?

"T-they retreated…"

"You can't even control your men and you can't even locate a simply Minizord." Pride shook his head as he raised an arm. "For this embarrassment, no punishment is too great for you…"

Santos blinked as he felt himself being lifted before being slammed once again into the wall. This time he felt as if something was holding him up by the neck. "P-please General…" He barely choked, "I-I have a family… Please… I-I won't fail again! I swear…"

"No…" Pride lowered his head before with his raised arm he clenched his fist vigorously. "You won't…" Within the squeeze, blood and other organs splattered from where the now-executed soldier's head used to be as the now-lifeless body dropped down. "I'll give your family my condolences…" He walked over to a window, looking at the stars as well as a few neighboring planets. "So… You've finally put those morphers to use, have you Ezekiel? You may've won this time, but not even you can prepare for what I have in mind. Not with the power I've obtained.

"Hmph, looks like your officers are incompetent," A male voice taunted from the shadows.

"They're so pathetic, after all! I mean, why keep them when you got us?" Another, a female's voice, added.

"Patience my children…" Pride assured, "You'll have your chance soon enough. For now, we'll continue to watch what Ezekiel does, and wait for our moment to strike. And when that time comes, there will be nothing to stop us. Not even his precious Power Rangers will be enough…" He decided that he would let Ezekiel savory this victory. For when the time came, there would be nothing but doom in his future.

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ Recognizing the obvious weak link, Zack and Brad train Viki to be able to fight unmorphed. However, they are soon met with another enemy from Syral: Drill Mole!

**Chapter 3:** Weak Link? The Trials of Being a Ranger!


	3. The Trials of Being A Ranger

**Chapter 3:** Weak Link? The Trials Of Being A Ranger!

"Where are they?" Viki opened the glass door as she walked inside the Student Union. It was the idea place for college students to hang out. It contained your top of the line pool tables, TVs, even stereos and a couple of videogames! She could've also sworn she saw a basketball court outside. But none of those potential activities were the reason why she was here…

She was told after her last class to meet them here, dressed in workout attire (Especially after her whining yesterday). She figured that a white camisole top, pink wind pants, and pink-striped white sneakers would be appropriate enough, but why though? 'I hope they don't make me lift weights or anything…'

"Nice to see that you're on time!"

"Ah didn't think you'd show up!"

Viki frowned at the latter remark, "And why is that, huh?"

Brad, who was dressed in a black tanktop and black wind pants, looked at her seriously. "Do ya really want me to answer that?"

"Enough." Zack jumped up from the couch after taking a small sip out of his water bottle, dressed in a red sleeveless shirt and black shorts. "Now that we're all here let's head to somewhere less crowded!"

Viki blinked, "Less crowded?"

"We need the 'propriate training grounds with what we got in mind." Brad informed.

"Training grounds?" Viki blinked. Mentally she wanted to cry now. They _were_ going to make her lift weights…

"Yeah. This place is waaay too crowded." Zack said, much to the blonde's relief. If they were looking for a more secluded place, then weights would be out since usually, 6 times out of ten, there were usually people there in the weight rooms. Looks like she wasn't lifting any weights, and with Brad being one of her "trainers" that was a good thing.

Brad watched on as he watched her silently cheer while stopping herself incase there were people watching. One moment she's full of energy, the next she was so whiney and needy. 'Prob'ly never had a nasty thought 'bout anyone in her life…' The girl may've been a bit strange, but he liked her. Good to be around when morale's down. Although he couldn't say the same about Zack's opinion of her, though…

Zack couldn't figure Viki out. She seems to be an energetic, lively "go get 'em" type of girl one moment, the next she become so whiny that… One moment she's so psyched about being a ranger, the next she's ready to run and throw in the towel! He understood her concern for her survival. He was skeptical about them having a chance of stopping Pride himself before managing to morph, and even then against Santos, he was having a hard time believing they could win until he called Ezekiel. She was perky, perhaps too much for his tastes, but at least he could stand her. His true bane just walked in though the door. He was really itching to train so they could be better prepared the next time there was a need for the Power Rangers, but this person may push him to the point to begging him to get hit, even if that person was a girl.

He wanted to ignore her, to act as if she never walked through that door. If it were up to him, she wouldn't even exist… No, that's too cruel. More like she wouldn't be on the same planet as him. But the moment her green eyes made contact with his brown ones, he knew there was no escape. 'Aww man, what a drag…' Part of him wanted to flip her off. To snap at her for all the crap she's put him through since freshman year. Maybe a 'kiss my ass,' or a 'drop dead bitch,' or something with a bit more impact than that. But what came out of his mouth was none of the suggested… "Hi Videl, what's going on?"

Her eyes widened at the response before narrowing. "Oh what do you want?" Typical of her response: Snidely and snobbish as usual.

"Well I was just saying 'hi' and being friendly!" Zack responded innocently. If she were going to be this rude, he wouldn't have said anything at all. Then again, knowing her she'd just say something, usually containing an insult or two, to get a reaction from him.

"Why don't you just do us a favor and _don't_ next time. I already have enough problems without dealing with a low-class-for-life slacker like you."

"'Slacker' I don't mind, but the 'low-class-for-life' remark I can live without."

"Umm Brad, what's with those two?" Viki asked, managing to overhear the discussion. She might've seen Videl around campus before, but seeing her and Zack's "friendly" conversation on the other hand…

"Long story short: They don' get along!" Brad eyes slightly narrowed. He and she weren't exactly fans of each other either…

"So yesterday you've ditched class –again! Why don't you do everyone a favor and drop out! God knows this school'll be better off without losers like you to waste everyone's time."

"Loser? Me? I manage to keep a pretty high GPA! I think I'm doing a pretty good job if I say so myself."

"Please, you're just lucky all the time. Always are, always will be! Your parents must be hanging themselves knowing what a failure they raised. Then again, the reason why people are failures is because their parents are failures. Unlike some people…" Videl examined her manicured pink nails.

"Okay, now that's just the lowest." Viki shook her head. Attacking someone verbally was one thing, but that person's parents as well?

Videl noticed the blonde's response. "Oh Slacker, you need Drama Girl's help to defend you now?" She snickered, "I knew you were pathetic, but wow!"

'Really wishing I could fry her right now…' He wanted to snap at her. He wanted to use every profanity in the book, even words that didn't exist but would still be considered profanity. But he didn't. "But why do you have to attack my parents? They have nothing to do with this!" Zack remained calm, even though he wanted to do anything but.

"They created a pathetic excuse for a human being, namely: you. That's offensive enough. Unlike some people," She roughly poked Zack's chest, "I actually work hard to get where I am today, not by luck, and sure as hell not by blowing things off."

'If only I could blow you off…preferably to smithereens…'

"That's my power! The ability to make something into a success! To turn rags to riches… Basically having the Midas touch, so to say. But for someone as lowly as you, even that could turn into a disaster. You're so such a disease…"

'You wanna see a real disease, look in the mirror.' Zack knew he should end the conversation. Otherwise he'd do something…let's just say that it would be unbecoming of a ranger. "Somebody's gotta chip on their shoulder." He turned back to Viki and Brad. "Guys, ready to go?"

Brad nodded, "Let's march!" He could clearly see how forced Zack's smile was.

"Yeah, let's go!" Viki didn't like Videl even more than Zack right now, despite his expression. Talk about negative energy…

"Thank god! I have better things to deal with than you and your pathetic band of losers-for-life. Tch!" As the golden-blonde girl walked off, Zack's casual expression slowly began to turn into one of frustration. When she was finally out of sight, his fists were clenched tightly.

"Any longer and I'd grab her, teleport, and throw her right into a moving train while teleporting to safety." Zack muttered, definitely not in a good mood right now. No longer needing to keep up the façade…

"You a'right Zack?"

"Brad, next time you suggest that I be nicer to Videl, I'm teleporting you inside a volcano and let my remorseful side pray that your rock form is made out of molten rock so you won't die."

Viki sighed, "Agree with you there! Just what did you do to get on her bad side?"

"Been wondering that since freshman year…" Zack explained, "I'm guessing she's still bitter that I scored higher than her on the placement exam. Who knows, maybe she's mad because I don't kiss her ass like ¾ of the school does. Maybe she's pissed because Daddy took her credit cards away or something. Who knows, and who cares at this point since she's basically looking for an excuse to get on my case."

"Maybe because you're just blowing it off? I mean if you don't let her know how you feel about her insults, instead of just being polite about it, she's going to keep doing it!" Viki usually didn't condone using harsh words or verbal assaults. But seeing how he keeps how he really feels about Videl bottled up, he was going to explode one day and it wouldn't do anyone good.

"And give her what she wants? To let her know she can get to me whenever she wants to? As long as I've been here there are three things I've learned about Videl Aerith…" Zack began to count off with his right fingers, "She's manipulative, she's spoiled, and she's an attention-whore. I snap and I'll be doing her a long-term favor. You'd have a better chance seeing Brad in a tutu!"

Brad scoffed, "That ain't gonna happen!"

"Exactly!"

"Well I say you should still let her know she can't talk to people like that." Viki pouted, "Or they'll be ragging on you forever."

"Basically damned if ya do, damned if ya don't." Brad sighed, "S'like a SAW trap: No matter what the outcome, nobody's gonna come out of it happy."

"Well anyway, let's go." Zack walked towards the door. "I don't even want to think about Videl more than I have to."

"Why don't you teleport us?"

He stopped, "What?"

"Remember what Ezekiel said? You need to develop your powers more!" Viki reminded in a teasing tone.

"Oh yeah…" Zack sighed, remembering his limitation. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he could go to work on his powers a bit. As far as their genetic powers went, his were the least effective against any and all enemies. Viki could turn into a giant beast that fit whatever monster they had to fight, and Brad became a rock-hard fighter – literally! All he could do was teleport so basically he had to fight with his arms and legs.

"C'mon now, Sarge! You're the boss!" Brad reminded him of his leader status as Red Ranger. "You gotta set the example!"

"Alright, alright…" Zack grabbed the wrists of his partners in crime-fighting as he closed his eyes. Teleporting himself was easy. But teleporting two people with him took a lot more focus. "If we end up in a dumpster, don't blame me…" Within a simple flash, the trio was no longer in the Student Union.

**Coast City National Park**

"Well, at least ya actually got us to the place this time…" Brad noted as they were just about a traffic light away from the entrance to the park.

"Well it was near the school unlike the festival." Zack responded as the trio crossed the street immediately after the crosswalk light flashed green.

"You keep working on your teleporting and you'll be our number one choice for transportation!" Viki smiled with glee with the thoughts of the possibilities. Shopping on the other side of the country and going back home within an instant, joining World-Exclusive parties… The possibilities were endless!

"Me being your personal transportation's supposed to motivate me…How?"

"Enough, let's go!" Brad wasn't in the mood for arguments as the three proceeded to enter the park. It was just like your average park, with the sidewalk being for a path through the fresh green grass, as well as a few fountains and a small pond.

"So…" Viki started, "Why did you bring me here anyway?"

"I mean seeing that we're going to be rangers and all," Zack explained, "We're going to be doing a lot of fighting."

Brad finished, "And aftah seein' you on the field yesterday! Y'need combat training, Private!"

Viki's eyes went wide, "What! Please don't tell me we're going to fight each other!"

"Relax, it's just training…" Zack assured, "We're just going show you a few moves that'll help. I mean you're not horribly bad, but you're not really good either."

"But couldn't I just transform into like a Bull or a Tiger to defend myself?"

"Y'never know when ya might have your powers shut down on ya!" Brad added, "Changing' into critters is pretty useful, but even the coolest powers have limits."

"Training is always the most important thing in our line of work. Especially now! You'll never know when you might get ambushed." Zack felt himself getting knocked down face first on the ground as a number of Sy-Bots appeared in the park. As he felt a pair of hands helping him up, 'Why did I even say that?'

"Nice timin'!" Brad snickered as he and Viki helped Zack to his feet.

Viki blinked, "What are they doing here?"

Zack looked at the newly-arrived army of cybernetic foot soldiers. Usually when foot soldiers appeared unannounced it was for two reasons: Either to search for something or to destroy a specified target or targets, the latter usually being the case. "Don't know, but this is where it ends for them."

"Let's morph!" Viki suggested. When morphed she felt confident in her abilities to defend herself. Otherwise, not really…

"Not until we have too!" Zack quickly jumped into stance as did Brad.

"…But I don't-"

"Just watch us!" Brad suggested as he and Zack started the fight between them.

"Umm…" Viki watched on as Zack landed a spinning back kick onto one of the bots before leg sweeping another. Brad, having already changed into his rock form, landed a few punches on the other bots. She wasn't that confident with her hand-to-hand combat skills, but that didn't mean that she was completely useless unmorphed…

As Brad tossed a bot onto another, he watched as he witnessed a Rhinoceros running through the small gathered group of the foot soldiers. He let out a smile as the rhino instantly transformed into a bird, flying towards them, positioning itself above until changing into an elephant, squashing them. "That's an intrestin' trick there that girl has…"

Zack ducked a punch as he soon found his arms grabbed and placed behind him into a bind, much to his shock… "Oh no…" Or was it really shock? Another Sy-Bot rushed over to take advantage of the now-defenseless human as he went for the blow. However, when the bot landed the blow, the recipient was not Zack, but the one who was holding him instead. Its true target appeared behind it. "You guys can't aim!"

Eventually, after a few more assorted punches and kicks, and strikes from different animals, the Sy-Bots were defeated. Those of which that weren't destroyed escaped within a bright light. Viki, transforming from a tiger, let out a sigh of relief. "Why were they here?"

"Either to take us out or they're looking for something." Zack stated. "But seeing if they were going to attack us they'd send a lot more Sy-bots given the last time we ended up defeating them. And unless Pride's not as smart as we thought he'd be, he wouldn't try sending them again. Not in those numbers. That clearly cuts down the possible objectives."

"Y'think there's a new Minizord?" Brad wondered.

"Only one way to find out…"

Viki noticed the stares from her two teammates. "…What?" The stares soon slowly switch to glares as she blinked. "Oh…" She looked around. "Umm…"

"Well…?"

"Uhhh…"

"Where's it at?" Brad crossed his arms, impatient.

"I…well….kinda forgot to bring it!"

"WHAT?" Viki winced at her two teammates snapping at her. "You know that your Minizord is needed for us to find all the others!" Zack frowned.

"I know…"

"An' what if we leave and they come back! Then what?" Brad added.

"Look, I'm sorry okay! It's just that it's so hard with all the classes, extra curricular activities, and now this? This is way too much!"

Zack placed a palm onto his forehead, "Just where… is the damn squirrel?"

"It's in my room!" She saw the skeptical glares. "Honest!"

Zack sighed, "Brad, keep on the lookout."

"Roger," He nodded as he saw Zack grab Viki's hand and within an instant they were gone. "Now got some downtime to relax a bit…" However, he soon felt whatever minimal relaxation he receive leave him as from below he felt himself launched instantly into the air. It was only a good few feet of air until he found himself landing hard onto the green grass as the attacked college student looked and spotted what appeared to be a hybrid of a drill and a mole.

It laughed, "Well well well, look who we have here! If it isn't a Power Ranger!" It taunted in a screechy voice as Brad narrowed his eyes.

"Great…" He shook his head. This was Santos all over again. Zack and Viki were doing their thing, leaving him to fight the enemy all on his own! What gives? Seeing that Drill could puncture his rock form there was only one thing left to do…

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

Brad's green and black ranger suit formed onto him before rushing after the enemy. He was never one to just wait for the opponent to strike, despite it best being the most effective tactic. He was more of the gung-ho type of guy than one who'd like to plan carefully. He'd leave that to Zack. They were both quick to jump into things, but he'd let Zack do the planning for the both of them. As he jumped up in the air, he twisted his body sideways before landing a flying kick "Take this!"

Viki's Room, Wolf Blue Dorm

"Hurry up and find it!" Zack simply commanded as Viki opened the door.

"You don't have to be such a meanie, sheesh!" She walked inside with Zack following. The dreadlocked boy looked around the room. From her bedcovers and pillows, to her backpack, half of the things in here were pink! He shook his head, how shocking…

"Where are you…" Viki moved a few scattered clothes from her bed as she desperately searched for the Minizord. She noted Zack's restless expression. Did he really have to do all that? He could help after all instead of just standing around giving her the third degree! What did he expect her to do? Bring the squirrel everywhere she went? Exposing their identities much? Just _where_ could it gone?

"Viki what are you doing, hurry up!"

She glared, "Would be a faster effort if you helped y'know!"

"And happening to come and find something just so you can have an excuse to call me a pervert? No thanks, I'll just stand right here." He trusted Viki and all, but a guy being in a girl's room snooping around? And what if someone else walked in and saw him under the bed or inside a girl's closet? He didn't even want to think, let alone deal with what he'd be accused of… 'Oh fuck it…' He might as well join in. He knew that it would end up a mess for him either way so why not do what might be the lesser of the two evils and risk being labeled a pervert than to be a leader who wasn't any help…

Viki turned to see Zack looking near her desk. "See, nothing in here's going to bite you, right?"

Zack laughed in a mocking manner, "We'll see…" Zack looked upward as she saw a picture of what appeared to be of young starlet. Her long hair was dark yet shining, and face was quite refined with just the right enough makeup to highlight her features. "Now there's a good actress …"

Viki noticed his observation. "She's one of the best! After all, 'Frienemies' is considered to be one of the best shows of all time."

"Too bad we can't say the same for the Spin-Off…"

Viki frowned, "Don't say that! 'Johnny and Mandy' was a great show! The only reason why it got cancelled was because of _them_…"

Zack raised an eyebrow, "Them?"

"Y'know, those things that put all us actors out of work? I'm talking about R-There you are!"

Zack was taken off guard by her sudden mood swing, but he soon saw why. Under the covers, under the pile of clothes, Viki had finally found the squirrel!"

"You had Mommy worried!" She stroked under its chin, tickling it. "Yes you did! Yes you did!"

"I'm happy for you to have reunited with your pet and all, but we have a friend back at the park to get back to!" Zack reminded as if on cue, his communicator beeped. "Call for Zack."

"_Zack, where the Sam Hell are ya? This drill thing's whippin' my hide!"_ Brad sounded distraught, as if he'd taken a few blows already.

"Hang on, we're on our way!" Zack turned to Viki. "It's another one!"

"Ohhh…Why can't we just go for one day without running into some big baddie?"

"Then it'd be too easy…" Zack face went serious. "Alright, let's ranger up!"

"Ummm Zack? I think that one's already taken." She informed, "But nice try!"

Zack rolled his eyes, "Oh whatever… Ready!"

"Ready!"

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

Coast City National Park

"Hi-ya!" Brad landed a kick to the abdomen of the drill/mole hybrid, knocking it back by an inch. From his constant drilling into the ground and his "surprising" attacks, this was a tough offender to bring down.

"Is that the best you can do?" It taunted as it took its fist-sized rotating drill and roughly slammed it on the ground, causing a small quake…

"Not again…" Brad was knocked down on the ground by that earth shaker. Where the hell were Zack and Viki?

"You've been a good playmate! Now it's time to die!" Before the hybrid could do anything else, he was hit by two kicks from behind as Brad slowly rose up.

"Y'all took yer time," He dryly said. "You got it?"

Viki nodded, "Sure do!"

"Now let's get this guy…" Zack pounded his fists together as the three rushed towards their target.

"Let me show you what you're up against!" The being extended his arms as his drill-like hands launched quickly! Before any of the rangers realized, the two drills soon made contact, knocking them down and hard to the ground.

"That's it…" Zack shook his head as they recovered before each pulling a black and silver colored pistol from its holster. "Sigma Blasters!"

"Time to bring out the artillery." Brad aimed his blaster.

"You'll be sorry!" Viki aimed hers.

"FIRE!" The three blasters each fired a reddish beam towards the enemy as upon impact, due to the conveniently-placed drill for the shield, it only did as little as knock it back by an inch or two, much to the red ranger's frustration. "Not this again…"

"He just got lucky!"

"We won't miss again!" The rangers once again fired their blasters, and once again the spinning drill was used the shield the attacks.

"Blasters won't do any good… Noted." Zack pulled out a card as his morpher appeared on his wrist from its hidden pocket dimension. "CARD 1, EXECUTE!" he said as he slid the card though the slot. Within seconds, a pair of red, black and gray swords appeared in his hands. "Nice…"

Viki soon followed suit as eventually she found herself holding what appeared to be a pink and black bow with a long curved blade making up the majority of this weapon. "Cool!"

"Y'all can use those fancy new weapons!" Brad cracked his neck, then his knuckles. "Ah'm stickin' to the 'ole fashioned way!" The weapons didn't work, might as well stick with what did.

Zack shook his head, "Brad! Don't…"

"Mah hands are the only weapons Ah need!" The green ranger cracked his knuckles as he ran after the hybrid.

"Time for you die!" It threw its drill-like fists towards the foolish ranger. However, its arm was grabbed before it found itself being thrown overhead to the ground.

Brad brushed his hands off after the successful counter-attack, "Y'all see? With raw power, who needs weapons?"

"Umm…" Viki looked at her new bladed bow, then at the downed monster. She was shocked to see Brad manage to be able to hold his own. However, this admiration would soon end as a blast from behind knocked the green ranger down. "BRAD!"

"Damn…" He shook his head as he recovered. If you can't beat 'em… "No mole's gonna be makin' a fool outta me!" Brad produced his own key card with his morpher appearing on his left wrist. "CARD 1, EXECUTE!" As the card slid through the slot, a large green and black battleaxe appeared in his hands. "It's payback time!"

"Alright on my mark…" Zack informed as they got into position. They knew what to do. "Ready… strike!"

The monster looked up as he saw Viki leaped in the air before firing an arrow from her bow, flying directly into its chest. "Hey! What the-" He was interrupted by the stereo strikes from two katana and an axe, leaving it to be knocked down.

"Alright, let's see if we can put 'em together!" Zack suggested.

Viki nodded, "Good idea!"

Brad stretched his arms, "Sound like a plan!"

Viki extended her bow as Zack proceeded to place his katana on top, one of them on each end. Finally, Brad pulled down the sides of his axe, converting it into a blaster mode before sliding it under the bow with the barrel facing forward.

"GAMMA BLASTER!"

As the monster recovered, it noticed the newly-assembled blaster. "Uh-oh…"

"You're through!" Zack held up the weapon, supported by his teammates as the trigger was pulled. Unleashing a large sphere with a mixture of red, green, and pink towards the hybrid being. Upon impact, an explosion occurred as when the dust settled, all was left was a pile of ash.

"Now that's what Ah call heavy artillery!" Brad commented on the damage the Gamma Blaster caused. Maybe using weapons rather than brute strength wasn't that bad after all.

"Score one for the Power Rangers!" Viki cheered.

"Good, now let's look for the Minizord before something else happens…" Zack suggested as, if on cue, the Squirrel Minizord scurried onto the granite floor. Within a few quick turns of its head, it then began to scamper towards the large fountain.

"He must've found something!" Viki noted as the rangers rushed after the squirrel. Upon reaching the fountain, under the splashing waves of water, they could see a crystal-like casing. "There it is!"

"This one's got my name all over it!" Zack reached inside the fountain as he pulled out the casing. Within moments it began to flash.

"Wonder what'll be this time!" Brad noted.

"We'll just have to find out…" Viki watched on as the flash began to dissolve. Afterwards, what appeared to be in Zack's hand was a grayish-red gecko. "A lizard?" She blinked. "From her finding the Squirrel Minizord and Brad discovering the Ferret Minizord, she thought there was a pattern going and Zack would find a similar Minizord. Instead, he finds this little oddball.

"Well, I guess we can call it a day!" Zack turned to his friends, "Let's head back to HQ and let Ezekiel know."

"Right!" Both agreed as the both proceeded to grab hold onto the red ranger, much to his chagrin, before teleporting… He really needed to talk to Ezekiel about giving them bikes or something…

**Space Station: Omega, Outside Planet Syral.**

"Looks like Drill Mole couldn't deliver!" A young man, hidden in the shadows, taunts.

"I swear! Why do you waste your time on those loser henchmen and genetic freaks anyway?" A young lady, also hidden in the shadows, added with a question. Why waste time and resources on incompetent commanders and genetically and cyber-enhanced creatures when _they_ could do so much of a better job?

"Patience…" Pride simply said, not bothering to turn towards his two critics as he was seated in a chair in front of a large computer. "This is all just a simple test. I always knew that Drill Mole was to be destroyed by the Rangers. They might have grown used to the power, but they are still… how should I put it, unseasoned. However, it is wise to be prepared just in case…" He pressed a button, activating the communication link. "Begin Project Ultima at once."

"I thought you'd never get started."

"Yeah! It was starting to get so boring!"

"Return to your training at once! As soon as Project Ultima is complete, I want you all to be ready for the task at hand." Pride didn't bother to watch the two leave as he just smirked to himself. Despite their young age, they were two of his best cadets. They both proved just how far they would go for victory. Another one, from the conquered planet of Vanicoor II, also exceeded his expectations. He especially impressed him at how ruthless and cruel he could be to his opponents in battle. His style would be most suited for his cause. For the time they would fight, defeat, and eventually destroy the Sigma Rangers.

Sigma HQ

"So, any idea what these two Minizords are supposed to do?" Zack asked as Ezekiel examined the Ferret and Gecko Minizords on the table. They've already known what the Squrriel one could do: Search out for other Minizords.

"It is unknown at the moment if those two have any particular abilities, but like all Minizords they do share a particular ability: To enhance the power of Zords."

Viki blinked, "Zords?"

"Giant combat assault vehicles." Brad explained. "They have the ability to combine and form a Megazord! S'been a ranger tradition since the first team with some even havin' an Ultrazord."

"Cool," Viki giggled, "Do we have an Ultrazord?"

"Most likely not… Only one out of every several teams will actually have one." Zack explained. "Just like there are a few ranger teams that start out with three and the roster could increase up to around a team of eight or nine rangers." These things couldn't be predicted. If it'll happen, it'll happen. Ezekiel said that there would be more of them joining up soon, so at least they won't be just a trio of ranger much longer. Which brought up another important question: Was Ezekiel Psychic, or did he have some prophecy lying around?

"You'll know more about your zords when the time comes." Ezekiel explained. "But for now, we must be patient and vigilant. Now that we've obtained three Minizord, I fear that Pride will be as aggressive as ever to obtain the Minizords."

"Don't worry Zeke," Zack assured, "It'll be a cold day in hell before Pride gets his hands on these or any other Minizord throughout the galaxy."

"He ain't touchin' these here critters!" Brad added.

"If he wants our Minizords, he'll half do it over our dead bodies." As did Viki, hands placed on her hips.

"You've realized that this will become a long war." Ezekiel reminded. "A war in which you may not survive."

"We've already realized that the first time you told us!" Zack reminded. "If we give up now, and Pride wins and conquers not only Earth but the rest of the planets just like he did to Vanicoor II? Surviving would be the least of our worries."

"This is our home, and we're not going to let some war-monger just stroll in and destroy everyone's happiness and peace!" Viki explained as she looked affectionately to the Squirrel Minizord that was currently perched onto her shoulder.

"S'not even a question! We all in this for the long haul!" Brad stated. "Ain't no way Pride's takin' this planet or any others! Not while Ah'm still standin'! Not while we're all still standin'."

"Your courage is valuable and it will not go unnoticed. However, this is only the beginning." Ezekiel sighed. "We do not know for sure what Pride is planning or what kind of power he has up his sleeve…" If he knew Pride as well as he did, the older man knew that the rangers would soon find themselves in the fight for their very lives. And if these young adults were to lose their lives in battle, then all hope would be lost…

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ General Pride is prepared to strike back against the rangers. However, he executes one more test! With this foe much different from Santos and Drill Mole, the Rangers find themselves in need of a big help!

**Chapter 4:** New Zords! Seraph Megazord Formation!


	4. New Zords! Seraph Megazord Formation!

**Chapter 4:** New Zords! Seraph Megazord Formation!

It was 9:45 AM as Zack was soundly asleep. As his black covers were tightly wrapped around him, he let out a soft snore. Last night had been a hassle with that mole freak as they now had three Minizords, each being entrusted with one a piece. But for now, it was time for him to get some good 'ole R&R. He already considered ditching again. He knew that his participation grade was endangered of being lowered, but he didn't care. He was an A-average student so a few lowered grades due to his ditching wouldn't affect him much. He was so much asleep that he didn't even hear the knocking of the door.

"Hello! Zack?" A familiar voice called out. "I _know_ you're in there! Don't try to act like you're not!" However, the only response from the ebony boy was a 180 turn of his body, now facing a wall in his room. A groan of frustration later and his visitor appeared to have left. However, within that moment, a small bug managed to crawl under the door. After a few more steps, the bug proceeded to transform as it grew in height. Moments later, the bug was gone! In its place was a slightly-peeved, platinum-blonde girl.

"I knew you were a slacker but this is ridiculous," Viki sighed as she walked over. She heard how lazy Zack could be from some people around school. Brad, on the other hand, was usually up before 6 AM. This was a lot more impressive than she could say about their supposed leader, who should be leading by example by being the first one out of bed instead of her having to come wake him! But alas…

Viki leaned towards his ear. "Zack… it's time to get up…" She said softly and sweetly.

"Mmm…" She heard the soft moaning from the boy, "Five more minutes…"

"Okay Zacky, take all the time you want…" Viki took a deep breath, as she was now only a centimeter away from her lips touching the tip of his ear. "WAKE UP, SLACKER!" Much to her shock, she found her right arm gripped before being flipped over on top of the bed.

"I'M GONN FU-" Zack groaned after seeing who he just tossed, "Aw man, what a dreadful development this is…"

"Can you blame me? You sleep as if you were hit with a tranquilizer! Hmph!" Viki crossed her arms, "How else is anyone supposed to get you out of bed?"

"It's called having an alarm! You should look into-" Zack stopped as he remembered his alarm clock. It was most likely destroyed when out of a groan he grabbed it, teleported, then threw it into the ocean before teleporting back and going back to sleep yesterday. "Anyway, what do ya want?"

"Well excuse me for looking out for you!" Viki pouted. "You're going to be late again!"

"Who cares…" Zack laid back down, pulling the covers over him. Classes were such a drag. Why couldn't he have just convinced his parents to just enroll him into an online course like he wanted? Then he could sleep as long as he wanted then do the courses online and he'd get his credits.

"Oh no ya don't!" Viki pulled them off.

Zack narrowed his eyes, "Don't you have an audition to go to or something?"

"Nope!" She said with a hint of righteousness before pondering, "I really need to go find one to go to…"

"Then go, so I can sleep!" Zack snatched the covers from her as he desperately tried to go back to his peaceful slumber.

Viki snatched back the covers, "Nice try!"

As did Zack, "Go away…"

"Nope! As Power Rangers we have to set an example, and as Red Ranger, you have to lead by example!"

"Aw crap…" Zack sighed, this was such a drag. This red ranger thing was getting into his personal time. "Look, just let me sleep, okay!" He snatched the covers as he held on tightly. Viki would have to pull him off of them if she was going to get up. However, Viki had her own way of doing things as he soon found himself with company. "Oh for the love of god…"

"Nice, warm, and comfy!" Viki chirped as she placed her pink ballet flats to the side on the floor after adjusting herself under the covers.

"As much as I like having a girl sleep with me an all, you're really getting annoying!" Zack hissed towards the blonde.

"Do you say that to all the girls who sleep here? That's probably why you have relationship problems with the opposite sex!"

At this point Zack clenched his fists as they shook within holding the covers. But he had to control himself. She was his teammate! She was his friend! He had to keep his cool… "When are you going to get out of my bed?"

"Umm…I dunno… Maybe around the same time as you do?"

"Arightalrightalright…" Zack just about had it as he yanked the covers off, having lost all hope of getting some extra Z's. But if it would get this crazy girl out of his bed and stop bugging him, then whatever.

"That a'boy!" Viki slipped out of her bed and back into her shoes. The best tactic in getting a slacker to do what you want: Disrupt his comfort level. If that wouldn't have worked, she would have to go with "Operation Jumping Bean."

"Nice to see you're happy!" Zack proceeded to stretch his previously-idle muscles. "Now get out so I can get dressed. Unless for some sick reason you want to see me naked!"

"Don't need to be all pervy with me!" Viki couldn't help herself with teasing Zack. His reactions were what made it so fun! "If you're not out in 20 minutes I'll be back!"

"Alright already, sheesh!" Zack walked over to his closet in search for a shirt. From now on, he was locking his windows and setting up traps at night.

**Neptune Café, 20 minutes later**

Brad proudly sniffed the food that was placed onto his tray. There was nothing like the smell of BBQ ribs, corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes! True that it wasn't like the cooking back home in Texas, but it still didn't mean that it wasn't good! His dad always knew how to pull off a mean BBQ as well as that special BBQ sauce with the right amount of spices that gave it that hot Texas flavor they all enjoyed so much. It was a one-of-a-kind Howard family recipe, which would be taken to the grave with the sole surviving member of the family. Hell would freeze over before anyone hoped to duplicate their trademark BBQ sauce.

The green ranger noticed his longtime friend, who had a slight-annoyed look on his face. He couldn't help but smile, knowing exactly what had happened. "How'd it go?"

"Let's just say that Viki could be very convincing…" He simply said as he took a seat next to him.

"Well, it was either that or Ah bust down the door and drag yer carcass out!"

"That would've been an improvement…" Zack muttered as he saw a gradually declining line where the Pizza stand usually was. Today's Pizza specialty was Cheeseburger Pizza. Now there was only one left and who else was in line? Surprise-surprise: Videl Aerith, the snobbish bitch from Hell. A mischievous smirk formed on her lips. Viki did tell him to let out his frustrations with the girl, and this would be one way to do so. "I'll be back…" It was revenge time.

"Say wha-" Brad blinked as Zack vanished, seeing him to appear right in front of the golden-blonde girl taking the last slice, much to her dismay.

"Awesome! Pizza!" Zack took the last slice before placing it on a blue plate. "Cheeseburger Pizza is really sweet, huh Del?" He said kindly, causing the girl to groan out of frustration.

"Oh whatever!" She hissed as she walked away, noticing Brad trying to look innocent in all this! "What are you looking at Rocko?"

"Say wha?" He blinked. "Somethin' the matter?"

"Your face, that's what's wrong!" She hissed as she grabbed the chair next to him. Zack may've think he got one over on her with that stunt, but it'll be her who'd have the last laugh.

Brad turned over to Zack, who was adding a full glass of Skim milk, some mashed potatoes and a small bowl of orange gelatin as he looked to the space where the chair once was before Videl took it away. Knowing Zack, he was going to teleport his way back into his seat. Problem is… 'That sneaky 'lil devil…'

Noticing Zack was done with his selection, Brad tried to warn him, "Zack, watch ou-" It was too late as within a flash Zack teleported back.

"Guess I Sh-WHOA!" Zack found himself falling back, consequentially throwing the food-filled black tray overhead, as he landed on his bottom, much to the amusement of a certain rich girl…

"Smooth move!" She taunted as she pointed towards the stolen chair, satisfied that the slacker was put in his place. Nobody stole from her and got away with it without any just-desserts. Speaking of desserts, she didn't notice the gelatin flying towards her…

Her eyes were wide as she saw her blouse, her new white blouse she had just gotten from Lorecora as well as the rest of her outfit was stained from that slacker's orange Jello! Speaking of the damn loser, she saw him and his little flunky Farm Boy whistling in a downward-like fashion.

"White outfits… easily fashionable, easily stainable!" Zack commented as he turned to the angry blonde. "You need help with that stain, Del?"

She just responded by letting out a loud shriek filled with rage. God she hated Zack Tyler! She hated that slacking piece of waste with a passion!

"What was that all about?"

Both boys turned to see a stunned Viki with a completely full tray of food. Was that a full slab of ribs they were seeing?

"Umm…Viki?" Zack asked, "Isn't that a bit much?"

"Y'sure you can eat all that?" As did Brad….

"I have to gain some pounds!" Viki explained as she took a seat next to Brad as Zack pulled a chair from an empty table. "I'm trying out for the lead role in 'Hairspray' and I gotta be a big girl with big hair! I mean the hair I could just go with wearing a wig. But I really need to put on more than just a few pounds to be perfect for the part!"

"Umm…they do have these new things that are on the rage! They're…I dunno… fat suits?" Zack reminded. While gaining weight and getting a bit bigger may've worked out well for her to get the lead part, it wouldn't do the team much if she were out of shape and not battle ready the next time the Syrallians decided to strike again.

"I know, but I really need to truly feel how a fat person goes through life. How she walks, how she acts, I really need to _be_ a fat person to accurately portray a fat person." All the greatest actors and actresses place themselves into situations the character they portrayed had to deal with, in order to really connect with the character. It's how they become the character!

"You could just wear a fat suit for a few days, even sleep with it on and make your life easier and keep you from being out of shape. Besides, it's easier to gain weight, but it's much harder to lose it!"

Brad agreed, "You'll just make yerself sick otherwise!"

"Look, lead female parts aren't easy to come by! It was either this or Dreamgirls. And if I went with Dreamgirls…" She decided not to say. She didn't know Zack that well yet, but for all she knew he could be one of those guys who were sensitive to what they'd see as mocking of their race. The last thing she needed to do was to piss off their red ranger because of her resorting to using blackface for the sake of a role she'd probably lose out to the other hundreds of girls who'd audition for the part.

"Look Viki, as much as we want to support your dreams, just don't sacrifice who you are for the sake of a role. I mean, it's okay to try to truly become the character, but not if it leads to long-term changes to yourself." Zack explained.

"If ya do well, ya get the part. Then you'll get more experience. If ya don't, just keep tryin'.

Viki nodded. "You're right… But still, I really need to know how a fat person feels."

"We'll figure something out to help ya." Zack leaned towards her full tray. "You're not gonna eat that whole slab of ribs, are ya? I kinda lost my lunch when Videl pulled the chair from under me!"

She scoffed, "S'not like I need to eat so much anymore… So, what did you do to her?"

"Oh nothing, I just took the last slice of the Cheeseburger Pizza before she could.

Viki blinked, "Are you sure you really want to get on her bad side?"

"Viki, no matter what I do, I'm _always_ on her bad side. Why fight it? You can't change destiny! Now why don't we just enjoy the downtime we have before, god knows why, something happens that'll involve us getting our asses kicked for 20 minutes before gaining the upper hand, huh?"

"Or would you like to do more combat trainin'?" Brad suggested.

"I'm just fine with hanging out here and chilling!" Viki definitely would rather just sleep instead of doing any form of training, especially with Brad being her drill sergeant. Besides, this could be the last time life would be this peaceful.

**Space Station: Omega, Outside Planet Syral**

"Commander Barton, report!" Pride ordered as the young commander gave a small grin.

"Everything's flowing perfectly on schedule." He explained. "That power source you discovered is working perfectly. _Too_ perfectly…"

"Excellent. Then everything is going according to plan. And how are our candidates fairing?"

"It took some time, but they've adjusted greatly to the power." Barton whistled downwardly, "Just so ya know Sir, they are getting a bit anxious. Apparently the power's made them a bit…overzealous."

"Apparently simulations and obstacle courses aren't enough to keep them busy." Pride scoffed, "Tell them that they will have to wait! I'm at my final evaluation of their…competition."

"Sir, with all due respect you've already have information about the Power Rangers and their powers, their weapons. Compared to the power source we hold, those rangers have nothing on us!"

"Not everything…" Pride reminded. "There is one more thing that must be evaluated before we unleash 'Project Ultima,' and I have the very thing suitable for the occasion." He pressed a button, activating the com-link. "Sergeant Sparx, I have a task for you!" A smirk formed on his face. This would be the final examination to see what exactly he would be dealing with. Although the advantage favored them due to experience, Pride wanted to make sure that there was no room for error that could turn the tides of the upcoming war against them. And as soon as his team disposed of the rangers, then, like with Vanicoor II, there would be nothing to stop them from conquering Earth, as well as the rest of the planets in this system.

**Coast City University Student Union**

"_Today, we're going to be making these nice bacon twists."_

Brad's eyebrow rising, he instantly grabbed his notepad. "A'right, here we go!"

"_First thing to do is to preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While the oven is heating up, this would be a good time to make sure you have all the ingredients and all the tools you'll need to use. First off, you'll need 12 slices of bacon as well as skewers and a tray."_

He hastily wrote down, "Skewers…tray… got it!"

"_You'll also need paper towels and a slotted spatula to drain the excess grease."_

"…Good ah'dea!" Brad noted, with a grin. These bacon twists sound appetizing. He only wished that were watching in his own room rather here, as it would only take him about a minute to get near a stove. While the stove here was off-limits except to those who were employees. However, his cooking lesson for the day would end as he heard the door open.

"Oh c'mon Zack, it's not that bad!"

Brad heard Viki's voice as he quickly switched the channel onto a boxing match. He knew that his reputation as a "Man's man" would be shot if they, or anyone else caught him watching a cooking show. He would never hear the end of it. His father had seen to that. But what was the big deal with Zack?

"Not that bad Viki? Did you forget to take your pills this morning? The only thing worse would be if the planet was destroyed in order to make room for some intergalactic highway that'd bridge between this galaxy and the next." Brad heard him sigh, "What a revolting development this is…"

"You're exaggerating again…"

"Easy for you to say! At least you got a good deal out of this!"

"What gives?" Brad got up from the couch as another student, a redhead young lady, walked up to him, hoping to fill him in.

"Let me put it this way: Sucks to be Zack right now." She let out a small giggle. It wasn't that she didn't like him, but in this situation it was a good thing she was a girl. Better him than her.

"You better pray for that guy!" One more student, a guy with long brown hair snickered.

"Can sumone please tell me what y'all talkin' 'bout?" Brad asked, his voice rising a bit. They were giving him their condolences to Zack, but not telling him why they were doing so.

Zack fell onto the couch back first. "I feel that there's someone up there who I've somehow managed to piss off to earn this torture. God I hate Home Development…"

Viki chirped, "We all were paired up together as parents: A girl and a guy in each pair! For the next few days we're going to be parents with a little-widdle baby!"

"So yer basically playin' house! It ain't that bad!" Brad didn't see what the big deal was! So Zack would lose some extra sleep (And from how often he slept in class, it wouldn't be much of a loss.), big deal!

"That's not the problem!" Zack informed.

"Then what is?"

Zack saw Viki ready to explain, 'Don't say it…' He didn't want to think about it as long as he could, knowing very well he'll have to deal with it eventually.

"His partner is Videl!"

'Why did she say it?' Zack pulled on his dreads, hoping to distract this torture with another one. "As if I haven't seen her around enough, now I have to work with her!"

"Aww…" Viki scooted over to pat the head of their red ranger. "It'll be okay…"

"You work with Videl and then tell me it'll be okay!" Zack crossed his arms. "It's gonna be a hellish few days, but I know how to prolong it…"

"And that is?"

"Whenever I see her, I teleport away before she notices me."

"That's pretty petty!"

"But it has results!"

Brad asked as he glanced behind, "An' what if she notices ya before y'can teleport?"

Zack scoffed, "That won't happen! I'm too fast, and she's too fake!"

"Guess again, Slacker!"

"Crap!" Zack recognized that voice. That condescending, begrudging voice, belonging to the last person he wanted to see right now! Before he had the chance to teleport away, he felt his dreadlocks once again being yanked. This time it was the person of his despise. "The hell!"

"You weren't thinking about leaving, were you?" Her green eyes glared daggers at her less-than-favorable partner. "Look, I don't like you, you don't like me, but I'll be damned if I let you screw this assignment up for me!"

"Me? Screw up? I think you have me confused for someone else! Or have you forgotten about my-"

"I know about your grades, and even I wonder just how lucky you are! This however is an assignment where you can't just pull your last-minute trump cards that you love so much!"

"I always get the job done! At the end, whether you like it or not, it doesn't matter how I get it done as long as I get it done legitimately!"

"Whatever, just remember to actually do your work, for once, and maybe we can pull out a respectable grade." She wanted… no, needed to get an A in the class. But with working with the king of all slackers, she'd be lucky to pull a B- minus on this assignment, ruining her chance at an A+. This assignment required dedication, and the idiot couldn't dedicate time to get his homework done (She still believed he had people do it for him then claimed that he did it himself.), let alone raise a child. Zack had "Deadbeat Dad" written all over him. Then again, there wasn't any way for him to get out of it at least and he'll have to pull his weight…for once.

"Whatever…" As much as he loathed the situation at hand, Zack knew that he'd had to do whatever to make sure he had a good standing in class, especially due to the fact that he ditches class 50% of the time. Even if it meant…ugh…cooperating with Videl Aerith!

**Space Station: Omega, Outside Planet Syral**

"_Sergeant Sparx, I trust everything is in order."_

A man who appeared to have features that resembled a gray fox – eyes, muzzle, ears – answered the call, seated within a cockpit of some sort. "All systems are operational, General. Weapons are being armed as we speak."

"_Make sure that everything is at 100%. As soon as you land on Earth, Ezekiel will track you in less than an hour. Then the rangers will come at your location, and I would hate to be ill-prepared."_

"Yes General." Sparx continued his maintenance check. This was basically a test battle to see how strong the enemy was. Too bad the rangers didn't know that, so most likely they'll be going all out. Bringing another question to mind: What if he did manage to defeat the rangers? That would be more than enough of an example of the Syrallian army's dominance. Then again, this would cause the General's expectations to rise significantly. Things would tighten up around here and it wouldn't be for the best. If you made one justifiable error, you're finished. It was bad enough what happened to Santos after he failed. But failure would be ten times as worse afterwards if he went to destroy the rangers in this trial run.

"There…" He sighed as he finished the maintenance. "At least it should be operational!" Now all there was left to do is prepare and then disembark. Then, his opportunity would come knocking…

**Coast City University Student Union**

Within the push of the cue, the white ball smoothly glided towards the green-covered table as it soon collided with the red-colored number 3 ball, knocking it into a hole near the side of the table. Within moments, the cue's holder let out a sigh, not liking his situation, as he walked over to another side ready to repeat this action. Only this time, his target was the elusive green 6-ball! However, he soon met with a familiar face. "Hi again. Shall we continue to discuss how much my life sucks right now?"

Viki let out a small smile as she shook her head. This guy was really pushing it with the angst. "Actually I thought you could use some company! Especially right now!"

"Whoopie…" Zack muttered as he unsuccessfully tried to hit the 6-ball.

"I mean look at it this way! This could be a really great chance to get to know Videl!"

"Or a really great chance to experience what hell is like!"

"She can't really be that bad, can she?"

"You wanna know how far she'll go just to get at me? Last year, you know about Sasha Carlson?"

"That girl from Prep Club?" Viki asked.

"Well me and Sash were kinda having a thing going on and we were supposed to go to the formal last year. Brad had Jessie, I had Sasha, we would be double-dating! However, at the end I found myself being a 3rd wheel and what was supposed to be a memorable night became one I wish never happened."

"She dumped you?"

"Actually she never showed up." Zack closed his eyes. He didn't want to remember, but alas he was, "I tried to ask her about it, but she just avoided me. She even threatened to tell the faculty if I didn't leave her alone!" The tightened grip on the cue showed, "If she was going to cancel she could've at least have the decency to tell me, but no! She just had to make me look like a fool, and why? I don't know! But I've heard rumors that Videl had more than a few words with her. Either she threatened or bribed her! Whatever she did, she somehow convinced Sasha to stood me up and make me look like a complete fool!"

"Umm Zack?" Viki watched the Pool cue within Zack's grip.

"That bitch is always trying to ruin things for me!" Sounds of cracking could be heard. "God I hate that bitch… If it weren't for the fact she's a woman I'd-"

"ZACK!"

The red ranger turned to a concerned Viki who was glancing at the pool cue that was heavily gripped. It was already taped up from being broken a month ago, and Zack was on his way to make the repair job be in vain. "Oh…looks like I got a bit carried away…"

"Duh!"

"What's goin' on?" Brad walked over to see Zack, who still was not very happy, and Viki, who looked as if she just saw a ghost in the middle of the discussion. From how tense he looked he had more than just an idea what was the topic at hand. "Lemme guess: Sasha, again?"

"Apparently Videl's responsible for their breakup." Viki explained.

"I've heard about that." Brad remembered Zack being steamed at the dance. He wanted to support his best pal, but he couldn't just abandon his date either. He also remembered when he tried to confront her about it. That didn't go well. He wasn't accusing someone of sabotage, but when he saw Videl during that time, he could've sworn she was very happy. Especially when she saw Zack's situation. There was only one remedy for the situation: Him and Zack beating the living crap out of each other.

It wasn't as if they pissed each other off that night, it was something they always did whenever one of them was feeling down or angry. Better to take it out on each other while fighting than someone else, especially that person who barely, if at all, had anything to do with it. Besides, it wasn't as if they severely injured themselves. Brad's rock form could handle it, while Zack's teleporting abilities helped him evade injury-inducing blows. Been like that since high school. It toughened both of them up and sharpened their combat skills so it was good in the long run.

Within the sound of a beep, Zack glanced down to a black metallic band on his wrist that served as a communicator. "Here we go…"

Brad glanced around the left as Viki did to the right side of the room. As soon as they confirmed the coast was clear, Zack answered. "Zack here…"

"_Get to headquarters immediately. I just got reports of a mecha out in the mountains!"_ They heard Ezekiel's voice from the communicator.

As he broke the transmission, Zack glanced at Viki and Brad. "Let's go!"

Brad nodded, "Wonder what it is this time…"

As did Viki, "Hope it's not like Santos…"

**Sigma HQ, 10 minutes later**

"So, who's Pride sending out this time?" Zack asked as they both instantly appeared in the headquarters. His teleportation skills were getting better. It'd be nice when he didn't have to travel a few miles just to make sure he actually teleported here instead of somewhere like a junkyard.

Ezekiel motioned towards the large monitor, "That will be your next challenge." On the screen was what appeared to be a jet-black humanoid robot. Its metallic body was covered with red spikes as its head was armed with a helmet fit for a Viking.

"Okay, how are we supposed to battle that thing?" Viki asked. "I mean, we may be power rangers, but we're not exactly giant killers!"

"With your powers and weapons comes access to Zords of your own." The older man explained, "They're hidden within the earth. For security reasons, they can only be piloted by those with the proper key cards! Zack, you will control the fiery Drago Zord. Brad, you will control the savage Primal Zord. And Viki, you will control the swift Falco Zord. When they're combined, they'll form the Seraph Megazord. One that excels in flight and speed. Eventually, you will come to find other Zord formations."

"Well it looks like now's a good time to give it a shot." Zack nodded as within moments, from their pocket dimensions, their Sigma Morphers appeared on their wrists. "Ready?" He basically given up on preparation calls and decided to just get to the point.

"Ready!" Brad and Viki confirmed as the three grabbed their key cards…

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

"These tubes will bring you to the location of your Zords." Ezekiel explained to the now-morphed rangers, "Be careful. There's no telling what this opponent is capable of."

"Will do!" The red ranger nodded before turning to the pink and green rangers, "Okay guys, let's do it!" He went to the tube with the red flame insignia above the tube.

"Right behind ya!" Brad jumped into the tube with the green rock insignia above.

"Here goes!" As did Viki, only in the tube with the pink tornado insignia above.

The three rangers rode the tube down before they each eventually landing in to leather seats. Upon impact, the electronic chairs activated as it proceeded to slide into the glass tunnels.

Zack took the chance to look around his surrounding as he soon found himself, instead of looking at the metal and circuits, but molten lava. He took in a deep sigh. It was a good thing the glass was able to maintain stability within heat of this caliber.

Brad also noticed the change, as no longer he found himself inside of a building, but rather inside of some sort of a jungle. Since his powers were earth-based, it figured his Zord would be in some savage climate and whatnot.

Viki noticed she was no longer in the command center as she saw clouds and the sky in her path. Was she really that high in the sky or was it some kind of an illusion? If the former were true, was there really any support for the tube? She knew the Sigma suits provided durability, but even a very long drop from above was a bit extreme.

The rangers each soon made it to a small hangar suited for their respective Zords as at the end, their chairs began to rise as the rangers soon found themselves in the cockpit of their zords.

As his chair locked in place, Zack noticed all of the controls around him. Commands for weapon systems, piloting controls. And he could've sworn he noticed a stereo of sorts. "Here goes…" He took out his key card before placing it through its slot.

"Key Card, activate!"

Within activation, the eyes of a red large robotic dragon illuminated as it let out a loud roar. Within a few jerks of its head, the Drago Zord proceeded to fly out of the volcano…

"A'right, let's do this… Key Card, activate!" Within activation, Brad felt the shaking inside of his sword, hearing the roar of a gorilla. "Here we go!"

A green large robotic gorilla proceeded to pound its chest before rushing off through the jungle, ready for its upcoming battle.

Having just heard a scream of a falcon from her zord's activation, Viki braced herself as she placed her hands on the piloting controls. "Let hope I can fly this thing…" As she pulled the flight stick back, she felt herself flying upward before maneuvering downward. As the pink mechanical falcon flew downward, Viki shook her head out of shock. Just before school she was having trouble driving a car and here she was piloting this zord, and a flying one nonetheless! It was as if it was second nature to her!

**Chrysalis Canyon**

"Okay, what should we do next?" Sparx search around, scanning for something else to destroy. He could've gone to the city to do some major damage, but that would've been too restrictive. He was someone who operated better in more spacey areas. Those kids better show up soon.

A loud beeping sound emitted as the Syrallian solider turned to the radar. Three intruders were coming. He looked through the window of the cockpit as he saw mechanical versions of a red dragon, green a gorilla, and a pink falcon. "Ah, now to have some fun!"

"Okay guys…" Zack spoke through the communication system to his teammates. "This is our first zord battle! We don't know what that mecha can do so for now don't attack until it makes the first move!"

"Aw c'mon!" Brad protest. "Y'all know it's 'Killed or be killed' so what's with the hesitation."

Viki agreed, "Are you trying to make us sitting ducks?"

"Let's at least get a good look at what this thing is capable of." Zack wanted to see how that mecha worked before coming up with a plan of attack. It was better to go in knowing what you're up against than to be quick to rush into things. He'd leave the latter to Brad. And the moment that ape got into trouble, this dragon's got his back.

"I know but…" Despite understanding the basics, Viki still wasn't used to this. Despite her miraculous mastery of her Falco Zord, this was still her first time flying an aircraft, let alone a zord. Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt severe shakes. She's been hit! "Oww…"

"Okay, this guy means business!" Zack ordered, noticing the laser fire. "Let's get him!"

"Time to rock his world!" The Primal Zord raised its arms as it ferociously slammed its fists into the ground, causing a hard earthquake. Brad figured since Viki and Zack's zords were flying the only one who'd feel real damage would be that bot in front of him.

"Whoa!" Sparx's mecha was knocked down as he tried to recover. After pulling his robot back onto its feet, the foxman narrowed his eyes. "Now you're going to get it." He pressed a few buttons. "Missiles!"

"That boy's got missiles!"

"Look out!" The Falco and Primal Zords quickly maneuver out of the way of the missiles before they made impact. Aside from the large explosion from behind, thankfully there weren't any damages. "That was a close one…"

"There's more where that came from!" Sparx sneered.

"Aww crap… This is bad…" Now it was Zack's turn to do something as he checked to see what this Zord was armed with. "Lesse…Energy Blast, Laser Claw Strike… Ah, Missiles!"

"Y'got missiles, too?"

"Yeah, let's give this guy a taste of his own medicine!"

"Let me in on this, too!" Viki replied. She needed to get some retribution herself.

"Here's the plan!" Zack explained. "Viki, try grabbing on to him with your talons! Brad, arm your missiles! As soon as we get the chance we fire!"

Brad nodded, "Sounds like a plan!"

As did Viki, "Okay!"

"Had enough?" The Syrallian soldier taunted.

"We're just getting started!" Zack ordered, "Viki you're up!"

"Right!" Viki piloted the Falco Zord as its talons opened and extended. Upon approaching its prey, it swooped down and attached onto the mecha!

"The hell?" Sparx looked around feeling the shake as he soon found himself being lifted. "Hey!"

"Got 'em!"

"Alright, he's high enough! Brad, let 'em fly!" Within a few strokes, Zack proceeded with the launch. "Firing missiles!"

"Firing missiles!" Brad pulled the trigger as two pairs of missiles, one from the Gorilla's back and the other from under the Dragon's wings.

Viki noticed the four missiles, "This is where you get off!" The talons released as the bot fell right into the path of the four missiles. Upon impact, the Falco Zord narrowly managed to escape from being engulfed into the huge explosion that was cause. "D-did we get him?"

"That should be all!" Brad couldn't see how the bot could recover. Those missiles were a direct hit after all.

"Don't let your guard down, just in case." Zack advised before he shook his head. "No way…"

"Sam Hell!"

"But how!" Viki was in shock at seeing that the bot, despite its damages, was still operational.

"Nice shot!" Sparx taunted. Syrallian Mechas aren't just your run-of-the-mill machines. These could take as much damage from every weapon in an entire army, and still would be enough to destroy them! These kids had nothing on them. "But you're gonna have to do better than that, you brats!"

"Okay then, let's try another tactic!" Zack declared, "Megazord time!"

"Good call!" Brad nodded.

"With our combined power, that bot's going down!" Viki cheered.

"Let's do it!" Zack once again inserted his keycard. "Form the Megazord."

"_Initiating Seraph Megazord Formation Sequence…"_ The arms of the Drago Zord began to fold back as the Falco Zord proceeded to pick up the Primal Zord.

Brad felt himself being lifted, "Sure hope ya know what ya doin'!" Now airborne, the gorilla's legs and lower body began to fold backwards and behind as its arms extended. Its back now opening from behind…

"Trust me, I know exactly what I'm doing…" Zack assured as the Dragon's wings, and tail proceeded to detach as the remaining body proceeded to combine with the Primal Zord. Upon connection, the front opened as the Head was flipped inside, bringing up another head.

All was left was the Falco Zord to contribute to the combination. As it flew towards the combining zords from behind, its head detached as it, along with the separated portion of the Drago Zord, connected its body to the back, forming two sets of wings. As for the head of the robotic bird, it proceeded to serve as a helmet for the newly-revealed head.

"_Seraph Megazord Formation Complete." _

The newly-formed Megazord stood tall, with the tail of the Drago Zord serving as a sword as the three rangers had since transferred from their cockpits to the one specially designed for the Megazord.

"Awesome!" Viki looked around the cockpit. It was much bigger than the cockpits in the three zords. Then again, they were designed for one person each while this one was designed for three.

"Now let's see what this Megazord can do!" Zack grabbed onto the controls as the Megazord spied the giant mecha.

"Still not enough!" Sparx confidently proclaimed.

"How's about this!" Zack turned to his teammates. "Ready guys?"

Brad cracked his knuckles, "Right on!"

Viki nodded, "Let's go!"

"Okay, let's make this quick!" Zack declared as the dragon tail-turned-sword began to glow in a bright light as both sets of wings extended. "Let's make it count!"

Sparx blinked as he noticed the now-shining sword. "The hell?"

"You're through!"

"SHINING SWORD SLASH!" With the sword raised, the Seraph Megazord flew towards the mecha as within one hard shining slash, it was knock hard as it fell down.

"Eject now!" Sparx pressed the button that would ensure him a quick escape and safety. However, for some reason, the eject button wasn't working. Otherwise, he wouldn't still be in this blasted machine. "EJECT NOW, DAMN IT!" Too little, too late, as a fierce flash began to emit in the cockpit… "NAAAAGH-"

The Seraph Megazord turned around as the fallen mecha began to explode. After the smoke cleared, what was once an operational mecha was now left in scraps…

"Alright!" Viki almost leaped from her seat out of cheering at their success!

"That bot's terminated!" Brad crossed his arms.

Zack nodded his head. "That's that…" It was a job well done. The bot, probably sent by Pride and Syral, was destroyed, and now they could all go home. Good thing, too. Knowing what was going to happen, he would need a lot of sleep…and Advil…

**Space Station: Omega, Outside Planet Syral**

"Predictable, but a shame none the less…" Pride sighed, as the signal of the Ultimo Drone Sparx was in control was silenced. He knew that the Sergeant wouldn't survive his encounter, and that the Drone was no match for the Seraph Megazord. But it was no matter. What he had up his sleeve made Sparx' efforts look as meaningful as a lamb walking into a slaughter house…

"It is ready sir!" A soldier informed the general. "_They_ are ready sir!"

"Good!" A smile formed on his lips. "Send them in!"

The sliding door opened once again, as a group of five figures, each concealed by the shadows but could be recognized by five familiar shapes of their visors, each designated with a darker color of red, green, blue, white, and pink. One of them spoke, "Your orders, sir?"

"Your main objective is to obtain the Minizords! Our sensors have picked up a few signals on Rhynia and Vanicoor II. You two are to go there at once. Vicious, Glute, and Faye, I have another task for you."

The shortest of the five, dubbed as "Faye," answer. "So…What are we to do?"

Pride showed a toothy grin. Now, the battle would truly begin. "I like for you three to head to Earth. I have a few new playmates I would like for you to meet…"

**Planet Vanicoor II, Winstoner City**

It was a beautiful planet rather. Flowers blossoming, cool, fresh air… It was such a peaceful place to live in! A wonderful place to grow up in, a proud place to be raised! At least it was…

Now look at it. What were once tremendous and impressive buildings were now abandoned, if not mostly rubble. The peaceful, cheerful voices were replaced with the frightful, sorrow cries of the people, and the yelling and screaming of the soldiers who had just arrive months ago. More or less, once a beautiful planet was now a wasteland. All due to those ruffians from the planet Syral!

He sighed as he placed a few more things in his black duffle bag…at least those that weren't destroyed from the invasion. Those Syrallian soldiers weren't relenting to say the least. It was as if they wouldn't be satisfied if there was one building that wasn't even damaged, not to mention completely obliterated. As for the people… those poor people… From TV as well as from his mother's old profession as a doctor, he had witness death in the past. But never in all his years had he ever expect to witness it to the extremes he had when he witnessed his family killed in front of his eyes. All because of _him_…

Now that he had everything packed, it was now time to say goodbye. He felt guilty about leaving everyone in the resistance, given the current situation. But a wise man once said, you can't help anyone unless you are able to help yourself. He had received the offer only weeks ago, but only days ago did he decide to accept it. Perhaps he would be able to find a new life, a new power to help him. To help his people. Perhaps he'll be able to find it on Earth…

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ The Sigma Rangers have grown adjusted to their powers. However, approaching Earth is Pride's elite team: The Ultima Enforcers.

**Chapter 5:** The Ultimate Arrival! Prelude To A Showdown!


	5. The Ultimate Arrival!

**Chapter 5:** The Ultimate Arrival! Prelude To A Showdown!

"Are you three ready?" Ezekiel asked as he saw though the window the rangers standing inside of the simulation room.

Zack turned to his friends. "Guys?"

Brad cracked his knuckles. "Let the trainin' begin!"

Viki gave a smile, "I'm ready, I guess!"

"Alright, let's do this!"

Ezekiel typed in the particular information. "We will begin at level three! Suit up!"

Zack nodded as the Morphers appeared on their wrists. "Ready!"

"Ready!"

"SIGMA MORPH EXECUTE!"

As soon as they were morphed, the rangers found themselves on the roof of a tall building. "Remember, this may be only a simulation, but it shouldn't be taken lightly!"

Zack looked around as he saw a group of Sy-Bots surround them "Alright guys, time to clean up!"

"Smash 'em an' bash 'em? Sounds good to me!" Brad rushed off.

"I'm ready!" A smirk was hidden under Viki's helmet as she and Zack soon joined the fight.

Brad moved swiftly around the blows from the opposition before laying in a few sidekicks of his own, ending with a spinning back kick. He then dodged a few more punches from the bots before grabbing one of them by the arm. He proceeded to spin around, using the captured bot as a weapon to knock down the others. "Round an' round an' round ya go!" He released his grip, causing the bot to fly right into another group of bots. "Anyone else?"

Zack flipped around, avoiding the various strikes from the foot soldiers before using one's own momentum against them as a kick to the back drove the lone bot into another. After a successful leg sweep, the red ranger jumped into the air and landed a flying sidekick to the heart (if it had one) of the bot, knocking it back. He was struck from behind, but quickly returned the favor with a spinning roundhouse kick before landing a few more punches and kicks onto the bots.

"SIGMA BLASTER, CROSSBOW MODE!" Still not confident in her hand-to-hand combat ability, Viki decided to combine her Bow with her Sigma Blaster before firing away at the Sy-Bots. "Cyclone Blast!" A strong gust fired from the barrel of the gun as it began to blow away the enemy – literally! "Awesome!" She cheered with the impact she made. It was so powerful, so cool! How the hell did she knew she could, let alone how to do that?

"Let's see…" Zack paused as he placed a finger on top of his helmet, as if he was thinking or reading something. "Okay…"

"CARD 1, EXECUTE!" After swiping the Key Card, his Katana's appeared in his hands. "Okay, let's give it a try…" Zack pulled out his blaster in addition… "SIGMA BLASTER, SNIPER MODE!" Zack examined his newly formed weapon. The handle of one Katana was bent and served as a scope while the rest made the long barrel. "Hmm…"

"SIGMA BLASTER, RIFLE MODE!" Brad presented his Sigma Blaster/Axe fusion weapon as he noticed Zack teleporting away. "The hell?" He looked around, but there was no sign of his friend and leader. That could wait, given the other situation. As he pulled the trigger, the blasts from the newly-formed rifle fired rapidly at his enemies. Within a flash, they were all destroyed by the quickly-fired shot. "That must've been all of 'em…" However, the green ranger did not notice a lone Sy-Bot aiming a hand blaster towards his back.

"BRAD LOOK OUT!" Viki screamed, as it was about to take fire. However, as Brad turned around, his would-be assailant was struck by a red beam.

A smirk was hidden under the green ranger helmet as he looked up at the source of the blast. "So that's where'd ya went…"

"You should be more aware!" Zack jumped off from the higher tower before landing down at the same level of his comrades. "That was too close!"

"Well at least that was the last of them…" Viki sighed, letting the edge of her makeshift crossbow touch the ground.

"Honestly, Ah was hoping we get some more of them!" As if they were answering his wishes, a new group of Sy-Bots appeared, this time in a much larger number than before. "Ah, good!"

"Stay alert, team!" Zack advised as the fighting continued. However, unlike the previous fight, the rangers began to have problems with the larger group of enemies… Despite a few successful fires from their respective blasters, they each soon found them knocked out of their hands, as this group of Sy-Bot appeared to be much stronger and tougher than the last.

Both of his arms were grabbed as Zack found himself receiving a few blows to the stomach. Unless Ezekiel increased the level, how did this happen? They were doing so well, why are they losing now? Looks like this is really where the training starts…

Brad too found himself in the same fate as he struggled against his captors, receiving hard blows from all directions. "Sam Hell?"

As did Viki! However, as a lone Sy-Bot prepared to strike, she instantly shift as the only thing her would-be assailant hit was air. Only for it, and her would-be captors to be bashed by the rampaging rhino.

"A'right, that does it!" With a loud growl Brad used whatever strength he could muster to bring his arms together, causing the unfortunate holders to be smashed! Now free, he continued his fight against the new arrivals with a few kicks, followed by a few more hard punches.

"This is getting old…" Under his helmet Zack's eyes narrowed. It was time to turn the tables as he used his assailant as a step board for him to flip behind, freeing himself from his assailants. 'Okay Tyler, focus…' The three Sy-Bot rushed over towards his direction... "He we go… Fire Kick!" Zack jumped as he spun towards his targets. His right leg once again ablaze, he landed a spinning kick on one of them. "One…" he counted before going for another kick. "Two…Three!" As he was to land the kick, the fire surrounding his leg vanished, leaving his kick not to have the desired effect, but still did the job nonetheless. At least two out of three wasn't that bad. 'Great…more to work on…'

"Hurricane Flash!" Viki extended her arms as a hurricane surrounded her like a shield. "Let's do this!" She ran towards the Sy-Bots, allowing her hurricane-like shield to do the work for her as it blew all that would get into her way. A smile was hidden under her helmet. Now this was fun! However, as she was about to rush the last Sy-Bot, her shield gradually vanished. Luckily, her quick thinking into a leaping punch remedied the problem. "That was too close…"

"Ground Quake!" Brad slammed both fists down on the ground as a small tremor moved from him towards the targeted Sy-Bots, shaking them up a bit, even knocking some of them down. But in this situation, some wasn't enough. As he cursed himself of this minor setback, Brad decided it was best to finish them off the old fashioned way. With his fists balled, Brad rushed full speed ahead towards the group of foot-soldiers. Within a matter of seconds, the powerful lariats of the green Ranger mowed down the Sy-Bots!

Within a few moments later, all of the Sy-Bots were reduced to scrap metal, leaving the rangers standing tall and victorious. "Well that wasn't so difficult," Zack commented.

"Ah'll say! Brad sighed, "Just gettin' started!"

"Speak for yourself…" Viki frowned. While she did hold her own against the Sy-Bots, she had to rely on her powers and weapons. Without them, she would've been helpless! And it scared her…

"That will be enough for today!" Ezekiel reminded, "But be on your guard. There may be still Minizords that have yet to be discovered, and you can guarantee Pride and his army will come for them."

Zack nodded as the trio demorphed, "Okay."

Brad nodded, "We'll keep a watch out for 'em."

"Let us know if there's any more Minizords to get!" Viki chirped as they proceeded to leave the simulator room.

**20 Miles From Coast City**

Outside of the city, a jet-black aircraft descended from above onto the ground. After the plane was successfully positioned on the ground, the side door slowly slid open...

A young girl with bleached-blonde hair with the sides in high pigtails stepped out dressed in a black and pink skirt uniform. She took a deep breath, examining her surroundings. "So…This is Earth!"

"Oooh! It's so green! It's so sunny!" A young man was next to walk out. He was dressed in a black and green version of his comrade's uniform, but wore pants instead of the skirt! His green goatee served as the only sign of hair on his head save for his dark eyebrows and sunglasses that covered his eyes. "It's everything I've dreamed of!"

"Enough, Tony! You can go fanboy on us later." A stern voice said as a third person stepped out, brushing back his dirty-blonde shoulder-length hair. He was dressed in a similar uniform as Tony's, only where they green should be was replaced with red. "Let's focus on why we came here!"

"Seriously!" The only girl of the group smirked, "Speaking of whom, where are those rejects anyway?" She wanted to find them and eliminate them as soon as possible. Earth seemed to be nice and all, but she wanted to get back to the much superior Planet Syral for a manicure. Somehow, she knew she was going to need it after this.

"No clue… Pride said that all we have to do to bring them out is to just draw their attention!" He took out what appeared to be a rifle. "Why don't we just get to that?"

"Wait Brah! Aren't we supposed to find those Minizords as well?" Tony reminded.

"Good point!" She sighed. This would mean more work for her to do, and more the chance of her newly polished nails being ruined.

"Alright fine!" Their leader sighed, "We'll look for the Minizords. We could always destroy them whenever we wished anyway…" Destroying the rangers could be put on hold. Finding the Minizords was their first priority. Nevertheless, the rangers were on borrowed time.

**CCU, Stark Building Room 214**

"Today, you will receive your children for this assignment." A woman who appeared to be in her mid-30s explained to the class as she motioned towards the rows of rows of what appeared to be dolls of babies on the table. "Please remember that parenting is a two-person job. And because of this, you'll both receive the same grade."

Viki smiled as she examined her "hubby" beside her. Shoulder-length jet-black hair, dreamy blue eyes, a smile that just made her melt… Yeah, Mrs. Connors really liked her, she must have in order to make this dream into a reality, aside from the envious and even furious looks from most of the other girls in the class. But yeah, Mrs. Connors liked her. At least she liked her more than Zack, given his partner for the assignment…

Speaking of her Red Ranger, there he was once again with his head down and his eyes closed. How he managed to get good grades as often as he does this escaped her. His partner, obviously, wasn't happy as she saw that angered look on her face, which made her wonder: Was he really tired, or was he doing this on purpose just to annoy her?

However, she wouldn't have long to dwell on the question as she quickly saw Zack's eyes shot open, feeling his braids yanked – again – as he turned to the usual (read: obvious) suspect, who just looked innocent. As if she didn't knew what was happening. Wisely deciding that it wasn't worth interrupting the class, Zack decided to go back to his usually mid-class slumber…or not. As Viki noticed one eye that wasn't closed all the way.

"These dolls can feel and think like an infant. And they can and will record your every interaction so it is nearly impossible to cheat."

"Hear that? Looks like you can pull one of your Deux Ex Machina 'save your ass' ideas!" Videl taunted her partner.

"Like I need one! This assignment should be simple enough!" Zack responded.

"Exactly! Not even an idiot like you can screw this up! Although you've proven to do the impossible before…"

"Who's to say that you won't screw up?" Zack reminded. Her attitude's known to upset people to the point where he could already see the crying, sleepless nights. And out of all things he'd see her as, "motherly" would be the last thing Videl Aerith would be. Stepmother from hell on the other hand… 'Yep, this is gonna suck…'

"Hello? Power to make things into a success?" She reminded. "Of course with your bad luck not even my abilities will be enough."

"This is a team effort. No one is more important than the other." Zack narrowed his eyes, wishing he had his Sniper-Mode Sigma Blaster right now.

Viki smiled as she and her partner for the assignment received their "baby." "Oh Claude, our baby's beautiful."

"Well, they do say that all babies are cute when they're born." He replied. It wasn't as if he didn't like Viki for a partner, she just seem to be…too… emotional. Then again, it could've been worse. He could be in Zack's position right now…

Videl sighed, "Looks like it's up to me to make sure our grade's at least acceptable." She glared toward her partner, who rolled his eyes.

"Let's try to get along for the duration of the assignment." Zack received their "baby," "Hmm…cute…"

"Nice to see that you somewhat give a care about this assignment. But that's different from actually contributing to anything."

"You worry about yourself! I'll do my part!"

"Yeah! I'll make sure of it!"

"You could be a little nicer!"

"I don't show kindness to losers, slackers, or freaks. And you fit all the above!"

"I don't show kindness to snobs, manipulators, and bullies. You clearly fit all the above, yet I'm at least being civil to you!"

"As you should be to someone of my status!"

"Your status?"

"That's right, my status! People like you should know your place and be kissing my feet! On second thought, I might catch something, knowing how likely peons like you have some virus!"

"Oy vey…" Viki sighed as she continued to watch the "couple" bicker. This was going to be a long few weeks, as she knew that she'd never be hearing the end of it! Zack wouldn't allow that to happen anytime soon.

…

_He heard screaming and yelling. He rushed over to check, only to find a pile of bodies, lifeless body drowning in a pool of their own blood. He was in shock, devastated. His aunts, uncles, and cousins, all slain like sport hunters would do to game. He continued to check the house, but that would only lead to more pain. More of his family was killed, some with their heads cut cleanly off. When he reached to the main room, he saw a sight he wished he could forget, but would haunt him to this day._

_He saw his parents being shot and sliced as his young sister tearfully watched. But what was the most shocking of all was their murderer, his family's murderer, turned out to be one of their own. Worst of all, it was his brother who held the gun that killed them. It was his brother who held the blade that was covered in blood, _their_ blood! And now it was her turn…_

_He noticed him as he gave him that smile, that sickening smile that was filled with malice and cruelty. "Hello brother! I trust that you're well!" As he was about to fire from that blasted gun, his target was suddenly wrapped around in a barrier. Frustrated, he knew the source of this. In response, he fired the gun in the direction of the source of this obstacle._

_As he felt pain in his leg, his concentration of the barrier was broken, as he then helplessly watched his sister decapitated by him. "Why?" was all he could muster to say as his brother walked towards him. A gun in one hand, a blade in another! However, there was no answer as the tip of the blade was pressed against his thigh, causing him to wince in pain._

_"You're the only one who is left…" He heard him say. "I could kill you right now. But honestly, you're not even worth killing." As he retracted his blade, he looked down at his wounded brother before escaping. The injured young man narrowed his eyes while wincing in pain. Justice would bring him down! He would pay for his crimes, his betrayal against his family, his friends, his people, damn it his own planet! But not today… Someday, that traitor would get what he deserved. Him and Pride, and the rest of the Syrallian Army…_

…

_"Now Boarding Flight 239 Non-Stop Flight to Earth."_

Eyes open wide as he looked around. "That same dream…" He muttered as he grabbed his bag. He had already said his goodbyes and it was a miracle that none of the Syrallian Soldiers noticed. Then again, the leader of the resistance must still have friends in high places that had also wanted the Syrallian forces to leave their once-beautiful planet. Nevertheless, it was time to board. He knew that this would be the last time he would be on this planet for the long time, but hopefully it wouldn't be too long. While he believed that the resistance was strong enough and more than able to hold their own against the soldiers and some of the generals, they could only last for so long. Hopefully things won't go array while he was gone.

He approached the counter before handing over his ticket to the receptionist. "Thank you, I hope you enjoy your flight!" She had a charming melody in her voice. She wasn't too bad looking herself. He shook those thoughts from his head. Now was not the time for flirting and oogling at the ladies.

"Thank you for your consideration…" With his bag clutched beside him, he proceeded into the walkway leading towards a white shuttlecraft. This was the path that would lead to two. On one hand, it would lead him towards the path for revenge for his fallen family and friends, and her… On the other hand, this would also lead him towards the path of hope for his people…

**Planet Earth, CCU Student Union**

"58…59…60…"

Brad collapsed onto the floor as he let out a sigh of relief. That was a new record for him. And here he thought he'd have a harder time doing pushup with his left hand than his right. But still he needed to push himself even further. Pride could send another one of his soldiers down to Earth or whatever that would be used to further his ambitions and they were getting stronger each time. And if or when their weapons fail, it would be up to brute strength and raw power to win in the end. Granted, Zack was a good fighter and a good leader. He knew how to think on his feet and make decisions on the fly. But a muscle man, he wasn't. And Viki? As much as he liked her, take away her powers, both ranger and genetic, and she would just be a girl with little to no fighting experience. Leaving him to be the team's heavy hitter!

He slowly recovered to his feet as he saw a girl enter the building. As he saw her black hair flowing behind her, he raised an eyebrow. There was something familiar about her, but he just couldn't quite place it. As the sound of the heels of her black boots clicked on the marble floor, Brad took a glance into her eyes. Despite this being the first he's seen of her, there was definitely something familiar about her.

Brad took in a deep breath. He might as well go on and be friendly. "Hi there!" He greeted. "You must be new 'round these parts!"

"Oh hello there!" She replied, having a hint of a British accent. "Perhaps you can help me."

"Sure, what ya need?"

"Umm… I plan on enrolling here in the fall and I have a question about this establishment." She explained. "What are the types of people who usually frequent this establishment?"

Brad scratched his head, "Well, y'see, there 'lot of people who come 'round here. Athletes, interns, y'know just your average college kids!"

"I see…" The young woman closed her eyes. "I guess I'll have to worry about those meanies…er…wankers!"

Brad blinked at the slip-up. "Sam hell?" Was he hearing things or did her accent just slip?

"Anyway, do you know of the selection of foods?" She asked again as Brad narrowed his eyes. "Are there any vegetarian dishes served here?"

"'Course there are! There's always a 'lil sumthin' for everyone. So, where ya from?"

"Actually, I'm around the area!" She admitted.

"Local, eh? We usually don't get much of 'em 'round here! Most of 'em come from all over the world, even from different planets. We have at least 23 Rhynians and 64 Lorecorians who're students here!"

"I know that already! Actually, I know plenty about this place!"

Brad couldn't believe what was happening? What was this, mind games? "Say what? If ya know that, then why'd ya ask for mah help?"

"Because you're too easy to fool, Brad!" She informed. Her accent vanishing! It was now clear what was going on in this picture.

"Sam Hell? Viki!" Brad_ knew_ there was something familiar about her.

She removed her wig, revealing a flow of back-length platinum-blonde hair done in low pigtails. "It's for a role in an upcoming play 'The Illustrious Fair Lady!' So what'd ya think? Pretty convincing, huh?"

"I'll say that." Brad scratched his head. "You should be a shoe-in for the lead role…that is if it's what you're going for."

"Not this time!" Viki admitted. "It's for a more supporting role. I'm going for the role of Mimi, the lead character's best friend."

"Decided to lower your standards a bit?"

"Not really. It's just with…y'know, I don't want to basically be the show only to be called away when the show's supposed to go on. Otherwise the show would be ruined!" She looks around, "Where's Zack?"

"Seein' that it'd be better to make plans and stick with 'em, Zack decided to man up and meet Videl at the library to discuss the terms." Brad sighed, "Poor guy…"

"Hopefully they'll be able to come up with a civilized solution for the project like Claude and I did!"

"An' that was?"

"I wanted to have the baby! He could care less about her. He said to me, 'Viki don't worry about it. Just give him to me when you need some 'me time.'" The bubbly blonde sighed, "So considerate, yet so dreamy!"

'Now that boy there's a pussy…' Brad shook his head. Claude's basically letting Viki run things and, while he didn't think she was type of person who'd do that, she was going to walk all over him in this assignment. "And he's got the baby right now?"

"No silly! He's at band practice!"

"So you have the baby?"

"Yeah! She's right… right…" It suddenly hit the poor girl. From all of her practicing at her dorm, she had been so eager to leave, to "show off" that she had just forgotten all about her "baby!" "Oh no…"

"You left it at home, did ya?"

"Claude's gonna kill me…" Viki began pacing around, yanking onto her pigtails. "How could I be so negligent? How could I be so cruel! WHAT KIND OF A MOTHER AM I!"

Brad grabbed her shoulders as he shook the panicking girl, "Dang, girl! Just calm down! Just go back to your dorm an' just make up for lost time!"

"But this isn't something I can just redo! This is a child's life we're talking about!" Viki dropped to her knees, sadness filled within. She failed. She failed Claude! She failed her baby! She failed herself! She failed _them_! "I don't wanna be a negligent mother whose daughter will hate her in 20 years!"

"Will ya get a grip! Honestly, it's not even a day yet and already you're already whinin'! Just go back to your room an' spend time with the child!" Brad tried to drill into the girl's head. Honestly, what was so difficult to understand? He aught to just grab her and drag her whiney carcass to her room! It wasn't as if this one error would end up scarring her perfect record. And she just lived upstairs from his and Zack's rooms in the Wolf Blue Dorm, so it wasn't that far away from the Union. He didn't know who'd have more of a nervous breakdown: Zack, or the whining girl beside him.

**CCU Hollydale Library**

"So here's the deal! I'll take care of Elizabeth at night, you'll take care of her during the day!"

"Why do I have to take care of her during the day?"

"Because I have a million things to do, and being somebody's mother is at the very bottom! Besides, at least you won't sleep in class-for once!"

"So I'll have to watch out for the baby during the day while you probably have servants who could do your job for you while you sleep at night! Yeah, that's pretty fair! And by the way, her name is Serena!"

"Serena? You must be joking! Although I have to admit it's at least better than Ramenisha, Tykellisha, or whatever name you'd probably come up with!"

"Figures you'd have prejudiced and stereotypical thoughts!"

"You are the last person who should talk about others being prejudiced!"

"I think you have that backwards!"

That's how the meeting has been the entire time they decided to meet up. Zack rolled his eyes at the situation. He knew that he would be and surprise-surprise, he was regretting coming here. Why did he even have to show up? He took a glance at replica baby that was in the middle of them. That was the reason. Now he knew how his brother felt when he had to meet up with his ex every month to pay alimony…

His "wife" wasn't in better moods either. Besides having to work with him for the project (She wasn't his ideal partner either), what was her problem anyway? Basically she was always angry, except when she got something that'd inflate her ego or put others down, especially him, for some reason. Most likely a trivial one! But for the sake of this assignment as well as their grades, they decided to pull it together.

"Look, this is supposed to be like a simulation of a man and a woman taking care of their child right?"

"Congratulations, your brain actually works for once!"

"And raising a child with both parents is a 50/50 job!"

"Duh!"

"Then why the hell do your suggestions make it feel like it's a 80/20 job?"

"Well dealing with you is a plus so I deserve a little leeway!"

'She's just trying to piss you off, Tyler, calm down…' Zack took a deep breath. Don't show her you're getting pissed off. Don't give her what she wanted. "Look, this is how it's going to go down: We'll do it your way! I'll take Serena-"

"_Elizabeth_!" Videl corrected.

"Fine, whatever…" Zack wasn't in the mood to argue anymore than he already had. This couldn't be a good environment for the baby. "I'll take _Elizabeth_ during the Day while you'll take her during the night!"

"Thank you!" The golden-blonde crossed her arms. "Nice for you to see things my way!"

"_This week_! Next week, it'll be you who has to watch her during the day and I'll be glad to watch over her during the night!"

"What!"

"That's right!" Zack stated. It was only fair to switch things around every week so they both get to have the same experience. "It's only fair Del! I mean it's not like I'm asking you out on a date!"

"Oh god no! Don't even joke!" The mere mentioning of the idea of spending more time with this slacker than she was forced to made her skin crawl.

'Believe me the feeling's mutual.' Zack decided to keep his thoughts to himself, otherwise he'd have to prepare for a few "What, you think I'm not good enoughs," "You're obviously gays," or his all-time favorite: "You're just a slacking loser-for-life, you don't count!" Talk about 'getting over yourself' issues. "So it's decided: I'll watch her doing the day. Next week, it'll be your turn!"

"Not likely! Look, I have too many things to do to be somebody's mother!"

"I have stuff to do as well, but you don't see me complaining! So get over yourself and just agree to it so we don't have to spend anymore time together!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"It's only fair!"

"It's fair that I get some leeway just for having to deal with you!"

Zack wished that he wasn't a ranger, that she wasn't a woman. The thought of grabbing her, teleporting, then throwing her right in front of a moving train was really tempting right now. Sighing, he stood from the wooden chair. "We'll talk about this later." His sanity could no longer handle her attitude. It was best to call it a day! "I'll pick Serena up in the morning!"

"_**Elizabeth**_!"

"Whatever…" This was going to be a long assignment, hopefully not enough before he lost whatever bit of sanity he had left. Talk about a no-win situation.

**Chrysalis Canyon**

"Anna, you found something?"

The girl in pink turned around with a smile. "It can't be too far! Signal's getting stronger by the minute!"

The leader in red smirked at the news. "And you, Tony?"

The ally in green let out a sinister chuckle as he dug through the opposite end. "It's as if they want me to find it! Two Minizords, coming up Lex!"

"Good… The energy signatures the Minizords are releasing should notify them. The moment they show up, BAM! No more rangers!"

"And, what if they manage to get the drop on us?" Anna asked. While they did have more experience and were much more powerful, that didn't mean that they had to completely underestimate them.

"Don't worry Annie!" Tony assured, "We got everything covered! They morph? We can beat that! They call their Zords? Our Zords'll beat 'em! They may think they hold all the cards now, but we're all aces baby!"

Lex looked upward to the lowering sun. It wouldn't be long until nightfall, when the light would vanish for this side of this rather inferior planet. Soon, the Sigma Rangers would vanish the same way. "It's almost time…"

**CCU Wolf Blue Dorm, Recreation Room**

_"Alright Bonnie, you have $59,000 in the pot. You can take the money right now, or you could pick what's inside of one of the three remaining briefcases. One briefcase contains a fabulous mystery prize. Another contains a week long trip for two to Hikari Springs on Lorecora! However, one of these briefcases contains the bankruptcy slip. And should you pick that, you will lose all of which you have gained thus far. So Bonnie, will you choose a briefcase, or will you take the money and run!"_

"So what'd you think?" An ebony-skinned boy asked all who were watching on the big screen.

"Take the money!" Zack stated. It was better to quit while you're ahead before you make that inevitable mistake and lose it all.

"Nah, actually she should just go 'head." Brad responded. Even if there's a little chance of it happening, it should still be a good reason to go for the grand prize. "She has a chance to win so much more!"

"She also has a chance of losing it all, too!"

"Only a 33%!"

"Just because it's a small error doesn't mean that it has no chance of happening."

"Only a small chance of happening!"

"Yeah Zack!" A girl responded, her brown hair tied up in a low ponytail. "You may be scared to risk it all but that doesn't mean everyone has too!"

"You call it being scared, I call it not being dumb enough to put all my eggs into one basket for them to get smashed."

"Zack has a good point." The first boy responded. "And you don't really have a choice in what you get if you decide to pick a briefcase. Don't forget about the Mystery prize."

"That's right Karl! Another girl, this time of Asian descent, responded. "The mystery prize is another factor in this. It could be just as good if not better than the trip to Hikari Springs or it could be just as bad if not worse than the bankruptcy slip.

"Sakura, it still makes the chances even!" Viki reminded, feeding her "baby" she had since recovered. This time, she made it a point to never leave her out of her line of sight as she rested in her arms against her bosom. "And don't forget the luck factor!"

Zack crosses his arms. "I don't believe in luck." If it happens, it happens. That was how he lived. That's why it was better to make sure everything would work out for you in the end rather than take a chance and be disappointed.

"What-ever!" Viki stood by her statement. "Bonnie should just go for it! Otherwise she's going to have regrets if she doesn't. I mean, what if she didn't go ahead and one of those briefcases contained the trip?"

_"So Bonnie…" The host asked again. "Have you made your decision?"_

_"Yes Ryan!" The redhead girl smiled with excitement, "I decided to go for broke!"_

"Looks like she's going for it!" Sakura watched on.

"Let's see how Bonnie does!" Brad rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

Zack sighed, "Watch her get dicked on the deal…" Before they could find out, that familiar 4-beep sound was heard from his communicator 'Aww man…'

Brad and Viki heard the same tone on theirs, "We gotta go!" The Texan informed.

Carl blinked, "What for? Some special assignment you gotta do?"

"Err…Something like that…" Viki informed as the three proceeded to leave the Rec room.

The brown haired girl watched the trio leave. "What's with them all a sudden?"

Carl shrugged, "I don't know. But we shouldn't worry about it."

"I mean really…" Sakura added, "It's not like they're superheroes or anything…"

**Chrysalis Canyon**

_"I've picked up three Minizord signals from the canyon."_ Ezekiel informed the now-morphed rangers, _"But I've also picked up three similar energy readings. Familiar, but still powerful! Be on your guard rangers."_

Zack, mounted on a red and black sports bike, responded though his communicator. "We'll keep a watch!"

"Why would someone be attacking now?" Viki, on a slimmer, pink and black version of Zack's cycle, wondered. Couldn't they have just attacked during the day? At least before she left she gave "Little Allie" to her father. She wasn't going to have a repeat of earlier today while she was on the job.

"In most cases of an attack, nighttime's usually the best time to pull a tactic!" Brad, riding a green and black ATV, explained. He knew from experience that the best time to strike was when the enemy least expected. And given that the attacks were always during the day, this was a new experience for them, at the very least. It could be worse, though. It could be like one o'clock in the morning.

About a minute later, the bikes and ATV stopped as the rangers looked around. It may've been dark outside, but the moonlight helped the visibility enough to see that there was nothing out of the ordinary. "Okay…"

"I don't understand…" Brad searched. "Ezekiel said there were energy readings 'round here, but I don't see nuthin'!"

"Maybe Ezekiel was wrong for once! I mean, it could happen right? So can we go home now?" The more she was away the longer she worried about Allie.

"No such luck, Vik!" Zack informed. He didn't think that anyone wanted to be out at this time of night. And what they've seen so far, this was a complete waste of time.

"Besides, even if it looks like there's nuthin there? It could be hidin' somewhere waiting for an attack!" Brad decided to activate one of his helmet's functions. "Activate Sigma Scope!" His visor began to glow red as his vision was now inferred. "Now where are ya?"

Viki worriedly looked around, "I'm really getting a seriously bad feeling about this."

"All the better reason to find the Minizords quickly and leave before something else happens." Zack reminded. "Stay on your guard. Just-"

"Found 'em!" Brad pointed to the spot, where through the mountains he could see the body signatures of two figures: One male the other female. "They're up to sumthin'…"

"Looks like we're not alone after a-WAAAAAAAAGH!"

"ZACK!" Brad and Viki both looked to see a bright green beam launched the red ranger over into a nearby rock formation.

"Sam hell?" Brad grabbed his Sigma Blaster as he searched around. So much for it being a waste of time.

"Where did that come from?" Viki searched around. This was starting to get scary.

"Your turn to fly, Pinky!"

"Huh?" She turned around only for the Pink Ranger to be blasted into a nearby mountain.

"VIKI!" Brad pulled out his Sigma Blaster. First Zack, now Viki! What the heck was going on here? "Show yourself, ya coward!"

Zack groaned as he pulled himself from the rubble caused by his landing. "Note to self… Never doubt Ezekiel…"

Viki followed suit… "Owie…"

"Well that was easy…" A figure, walking out from the shadows, taunted the recovering rangers. He was dressed in a black armored suit with its plating in a dark shade of red, save for his visor that was in a very familiar star pattern.

"Totally…" Another followed. Like her companion, she was dressed in a similar armored suit, only instead of red, it plating was a dark shade of pink, as well as her familiar Oval-shaped visor. "_These_ are the losers he wanted us to take out?"

Zack narrowed his eyes, "So you're the ones…"

"Who are you guys anyway?" Viki asked as the two just snickered.

"Obviously, you didn't get the memo…" The dark red ranger…or was he a ranger… informed.

"Power Rangers are so yesterday!" His dark companion in pink informed.

"Excuse me?" Viki took offense, tightening her fists.

"You heard me, Pinky! Power Rangers are so out! Ultima Enforcers are so in this season!"

"So… Ultima Enforcers, or whatever you call yourselves…" Zack stared right at the helmet of the red dark rang…er…Ultima Enforcer.

"The name's Vicious… Lex Vicious." He stated, staring back at his inferior counterpart, "My lovely partner here is Anna. But you can just call us your worst nightmare! The last thing you pathetic Earthlings will see in your meaningless lives."

Tensions quickly increased as the three Power Rangers and the two Ultima Enforcers stared each other down. However, unknown to them, the rangers were directly once again in the crosshairs of a sniper who was invisible to all…

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ The rangers face off against the Ultima Enforcers, who are more experienced and more powerful. Just when they manage to overcome their disadvantage, the enforcers call in their Zords. Will the rangers survive or will Pride's enforcers have the last laugh?

**Chapter 6:** Ultima Enforcement! Pride's Answer To Sigma Force!


	6. Ultima Enforcement!

**Chapter 6:** Ultima Enforcement! Pride's Answer To Sigma Force

Behind the black visor of his red helmet, Zack's eyes narrowed at the two arrivals. These Ultima Enforcers or whatever the hell they called themselves were already getting on his last nerve. They've already got the jump on him and Viki earlier, and now they're ready to fight. But something was off, or rather missing. Didn't Ezekiel mention three of each kind of energy readings?

"The name's Vicious… Lex Vicious." He stated, staring back at his inferior counterpart, "My lovely partner here is Anna. But you can just call us your worst nightmare! The last thing you pathetic earthlings will see in your meaningless lives."

Viki tensed up. She didn't even know that there were evil versions of Power Rangers…well…Technically they were 'Enforcers,' Pride's Enforcers at that! This was going to get worse, much worse before it'll all get better. She was a bit scared, but at the same time she wasn't going to show it. She wasn't going to give them that satisfaction. Especially this directly insult to the color pink that was starring her down.

"Aww…I almost feel sorry for you…. Almost." Anna sighed, mocking the three rangers. It was basically checkmate: If she and Lex didn't get them, their good sniper friend would! Earth was on its last legs with these rejects as their defense…

Letting out a soft growl out of frustration, Brad studied their surroundings. It was pretty unusual. Unless these guys were as powerful as their egos showed they were, they were at a disadvantage with 3-on-2. Then again, they didn't know squat about them, aside that they're almost the same colors as they were. Regardless, they had to get these punks out of the way soon and fast then look for the Minizords before they could get their hands on them.

'Sam hell?' Brad realized something. Something that, having grown up in military household, he should've known as the basics! This was textbook strategy on these Ultimas' part! If they were preparing for an attack, then why would they only send out a small number, let alone that which were smaller than their targets? That only led to one solution: One or maybe more of them were hiding in the area ready to pick one of them off, just in case of possibly new threats! 'Sunnovabitch!' The question was, assuming that there is a third, where was that varmint?

"Zack…" Viki turned to the red ranger with worry hidden behind her helmet. "We can take these guys…right?"

He didn't let the Red Enforcer out of his sight for an instant, "Three against two are better odds."

"Not exactly…" Brad informed as his finger was already wrapping around the trigger. His Sigma Scope still active as he glanced around at a mountainside. Only to see a body signature of what appeared to be a gunman with, from the size of the weapon, a sniper rifle. 'Gotcha…'

"Soo…any last words?" Lex taunted, knowing full well that the odds were in their favor. Just what were the all-mighty Power Rangers going to do?

"We're being generous today, so what will it be?" Anna asked, a smirk hidden under her helmet. "A slow and painful, or a quick and almost-painless death."

"Ain't gonna happen!" Brad quickly took out his blaster as he took aim and fired the blast at his target.

"What the?" Viki blinked at the green ranger's current action.

"Brad, what are ya-" Zack noticed another figure, having been hit by the blast, fall to the ground, loosing grip on the sniper blaster he was holding.

"Tony!" Anna yelled in shock. That Power Twerp somehow found him out!

"Damn it!" Lex growled. So much for an overkill victory…

"Got'cha lil' sniper!" Brad raised his fists. "No more games."

"If that's how you want to play, then fine!" Lex turned to Anna, then to the recovering Tony. "Let's show these posers how it's done."

"Gladly!" Anna rushed forward as Viki followed suit. The Pink ranger realized that this wasn't going to be the same as fighting Sy-Bots. This was now the real deal! Fighting someone else who was just as human! Hopefully she could do well enough to survive at the very least…

"Time for you get terminated!" Deciding it was best to get the jump on the enemy, Brad rushed towards Tony as the green ranger and enforcer began to fight.

"Looks like it just leaves you and me…" Zack simply stated in a cool voice as he stared at his Ultima counterpart.

"I'm going to have so much fun killing you…" Lex hissed as the two stepped, around, not moving their eyes off the other. "It's too late to run home. But I wouldn't blame you for trying, though."

"Me running from you?" Zack scoffed, "That's a laugh." And he thought Videl was full of herself.

"Nice to see that at least you have some balls. I hate fighting cowards."

"You really think you can beat me?"

"No… Not only do I _know_ I'll beat you, I'll kill you!"

"Not gonna happen!" Zack decided to take the first move with a quick haymaker. However, instead of feeling the impact, all he felt was air as his fist, much to his surprise, just went through him. "The hell?" Was this guy a ghost or something? Or was this just one of those hologram programs. His thoughts were interrupted as he felt a fist to head impact that almost knocked him into confusion. Maybe it wasn't…

"You can't beat me!" Lex taunted, arms crossed. "You won't even touch me."

"A phaser, eh?" Zack shook his head. "Let's see you try to avoid this! Kiya!" He went for another blow, but again the results were the same. After a series of punches and kicks, even a few jump kicks and still Lex, not moving an inch, hasn't even felt the blows. 'The hell?'

"My turn!" Lex decided to throw a few punches and kicks of his own, leaving the red ranger to block and parry his attack. However, every time he went for a blow, the red enforcer would just phase out his punch. The only time when he didn't was when he threw a blow of his own! How was anyone supposed to beat this guy?

'You can do this Viki… You can do this…' She said to herself as she dodged a kick from the pink enforcer. Now it was time to put her martial arts skills, as mediocre as they may be, to the test. This wasn't training with Zack and Brad. This wasn't the simulation with the Sy-Bots. This was the real deal.

As she felt her leg, a bit weakly, parried, Anna taunted, "Is that the best you can do?" And they made this…this little girl a ranger?

Was it really the best she can do? From the looks of her opponent, she at least had some training in the martial arts. Specifically longer than her! So what chance did she really have? She should just give up, turn in her morpher, and leave the planet for being so pathetic. For being so useless… How could she ever think that _she_ could be a ranger, let alone a good one? Zack was a leader who apparently had some expertise in martial arts, and despite the fact that out of their genetic powers his was the most useless combat-wise as it was better for running away, he had managed to use it together with his strikes. And Brad was the muscle, the strongest of the three of them. So what was she? Just a girl who was lucky enough to be able to turn into animals…

"Y'know, it's folk like y'all that give us rangers a bad name!" Brad traded punches for punches and kicks for kicks with his evil counterpart as Tony executed a front flip over him before flooring him with a backwards dropkick.

"I ain't no ranger, I'm an enforcer, Bitch!" Tony took out a blaster from its holster, a very familiar looking blaster only black, as he opened fire on the green ranger. However, Brad within seconds from impacting with the blast, rolled out of the way and pulled out once again his Sigma Blaster. It was time to show him what real firepower was all about.

"Trah this on for size!" Brad fired his blaster at the enemy, who fired back. This was how the fight continued. Each green ranger or enforcer of their respective teams fired at the each other while dodging the other's fire! Brad knew that he couldn't keep it up forever and neither could _he_! One of them had to give and he'd be damned if it was him!

As he dodged another kick, and vainly threw one of his one that once again went through Ultima Red, Zack was in a predicament. He couldn't lay a blow on the guy as he's somehow able to phase through his blow, and the only time he actually makes contact with him is when it was _him_ who dished out the blows! Solution? He can't beat him! Talk about a crappy situation. No, that's not right. He can beat him! He just hasn't found a way to do so, yet! His strength apparently was that he didn't have to worry about recklessly rushing into things seeing that he could just phase himself out of harm's way the moment he saw it. So in theory, in order to at least make a dent in his so-called invincible armor, he'd have to land a hit he couldn't phase out until the last minute.

"Just give up, and I'll make your death quick and painless…" Lex taunted, more than ready to declare victory, as the red ranger narrowed his eyes behind his visor, extending his arm in an inviting manner.

"Just bring it…" He hissed. If everything worked out perfectly, Lex's big advantage wouldn't be so much of an advantage anymore…

"If that's the way you wanna play, then fine!" Lex decided to rush this loser to the ground. His time was near! He extended his arm as black sword, shaped into a familiar style with a star-shaped emblem on the handle, appeared in his hand. "ULTIMA SWORD!" It was time to cut him down and finish him off once and for all. And after he disposed of their leader, the other two would be easy pickings. As he went for the finishing slash, he felt… Nothing. No impact, not even the slightest amount of resistance! Was he that strong? Was that ranger that easy to dispose? However, he soon found his answer as he felt the impact of not one, but two blades on his back.

Zack looked down at the now stricken enforcer. "Meet my Flare Katana! I figured out your little weakness!" It was simple. To be able to phase as much as he did required lots of concentration and more importantly anticipation of his moves! Replace the anticipation with unpredictability, and he'd lose focus, and thus rendering his powers to be useless! No concentration, no phasing!

"Lucky shot!" Lex pushed himself off from the ground as he dashed towards the red ranger. He didn't know how he managed to not even touch him, but it won't happen again. "DIE!" As he went for another slash, however, the results were the same. Where the hell did he go? He then felt a hard smack on the back of his head as he executed a backslash, hoping to slice that punk into two. However, no one was there. This continued for the next duration. Lex would feel a "tap," and when he goes after the source, the damn red ranger vanished. So much for him not being a coward… "C'MERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

"ULTIMA AXES!" Tony wildly slammed his twin axes hard repeatedly as Brad, with his Savage Axe, shielded against the blows. Obviously this guy was a cattle short of a ranch and, in a way, was thankful that he was facing someone who was even more reckless than he was. Now he'd have to do something he rarely liked to do, but would be worth it in a long run: Wait. Unless Ultima Green realized what was going on, he'd soon open himself, and _that_ was when he would strike.

He screamed between his pounds "WHY…WON'T…YOU…JUST…DIE!" What was this guy, some kind of living armor or something? And why the hell wasn't that damn piece of trash weapon breaking! He may've been rich in Vitamin C, but he was running out of energy! But damn it, he was going to break through that ranger's defense and he'd be damned if he didn't! As his eyes narrowed behind his rectangle-shaped visor, he raised both his hand. Ready for a hard, joined, breaking attack… "IF THIS BY GOD DOES NOT WORK…"

'NOW!' Brad's skin inside of his suit instantly turned into stone as he combined his increased strength with his axe in an attempt to send the green enforcer flying. Upon impact, the now-flying enforcer was confirmation enough that the counter-attack was a success.

"Bye bye, Little Girl!" Anna taunted as she raised a black version of a shield that would be known in earlier times. It was over. This… girl wasn't even a workout, let alone a threat! It was time to give her a merciful death from her own pathetic existence… "ULTIMA SHIELD!" However, the force of the impact was abruptly stopped as Anna felt her wrists being tightened… Too tightened by the hands of a pink gorilla. Behind her helmet, her eyes went wide.

Within a secure grip, the gorilla tossed her in the air as Viki morphed back to her normal self, before pulling out her Sigma Blaster. "Eat lasers!" The bright beams rapidly fired from the gun as they hit the tossed enforcer hard before landing stomach first onto the ground.

From the monitors back at Sigma HQ, Ezekiel continued to observe the battle between his rangers and Pride's new enforcers. But there was something that made him uneasy, particularly the enforcers. Their helmet designs, even their weapons look eerily similar for some reason. But what was it, was the question. Only thing he could hope was that the rangers were careful. He had a bad feeling about this.

As Lex went for one last slash, again the red ranger vanished once again. This was getting old. "I'm so over this… "He looked around. "Anna, Tony, front and center!"

"Oooh, they're pissing me off!" The green enforcer growled, standing next to his commander.

"This is ridiculous! They can't be this powerful!" Anna added as Lex glared at the now gathering Sigma Rangers.

"Had enough?" Zack taunted.

Brad added, "Y'all ready to give up?"

As did Viki, "It'll be easier that way!"

"Nah, we're just getting started." Lex grabbed a device from its pocket dimension. "We weren't going to use them, but now you've given us no other choice!" He turned to his comrades. "It's time."

Anna and Tony nodded as they both produced similar devices. "Let's see how these losers take this!"

"Time to bring out the big boys!" Tony announced as the three punched in a series of buttons with their thumbs. The ground began to shake as if a fissure was being made nearby. The rangers looked around as they saw the source of the impromptu quake.

From the ground rose three black Zords. One of them, containing red spikes in its design, resembled a tyrannosaurus. Another, containing green spikes, resembled a Velociraptor. And the last, containing pink spikes, resembled a Pteranodon.

"Still think we're ready to give up?" Lex taunted.

Zack sighed, "Oh great…"

As well as Brad, "Looks like it's 'bout to get ruff!"

And Viki, "They got Zords too? This sucks!"

"Let's do it!" Lex ordered as within a leap the enforcers proceeded to enter their respective Zords. Looking down at their targets from within their cockpits, they knew that they now had the upper hand.

Zack activated his communicator. "Ezekiel, we're gonna need the Zords for this."

_"Way ahead of you."_ He responded. _"On your morphers there should be a keypad. By entering the right combinations, you'll be able to call upon your Zords from their hiding places."_

"And the combinations?"

"_You have the information already!"_

Within the break of the communication, Zack turned to his teammates. "He says that we have the combination we need to activate the zords from here."

"I have it already." Viki stated. "I'm sending it to you guys right now." Within a matter of seconds, Zack and Brad nodded.

"A'right, we got what we need." Brad pounded fists together, "Let's get 'em!"

"Let's go!" Zack announced as their morphers appeared on their wrists. Without interruption, they proceeded to enter the required activation code…

_**"6…**_

_**3…**_

_**2...**_

_**4…**_

_**2…**_

_**MECHA!"**_

With the proper combination given, from their hiding places in the volcano, jungle, and mountains, the three Sigma Zords advanced towards their soon-to-be pilot's location. Within sight, a leap later was all it took for them to reach the cockpits of the rangers' respective Zords.

"Okay guys, let's watch out but let's get it done!" Zack grabbed onto the piloting controls of the Dragozord.

"Nowhere for 'em to hide!" Brad cracked his knuckles.

Viki cheered, "Falcozord's flyin' high and ready to soar!"

Lex scoffed, seated into the cockpit of the Tyranno-like Zord. "It's like I told you guys! These morons are as predictable as the sunrise!"

Tony laughed within the cockpit of the machine Velociraptor, "Just more fun for us, dawg!"

"Can we go to the spa after this?" Anna asked as the Pteranodon flew above the other two dark Zords.

"Time to take out the trash!" Lex announced as their targets were now clearly in sight.

"My sniper's ready to go," Tony informed as he aimed the barrel carefully.

Anna giggled, "I'm in the mood for some good old destruction!"

"Okay Rangers," Zack declared, "Let's take out the Trash!" The Zord battle had begun as both teams were ready to strike with their designated zords.

"Feather Rockets!" The Falcozord fired from its wings a salvo of feather-like missiles toward the Ultima Pterazord…

Anna scoffed, "Puh-Lease! I didn't spend hours on flight-training to be owned by this noob move!" The Pteranodon-like Zord flew upward into a flip to avoid the missiles, before turning its attention towards the bird. "Now to put my new Minizord to use!" She held up a Minzord resembling a magenta moth. "Minizord Activate!" The moth-like Minizord transformed into a mode that was more suitable for storage as it then instantly inserted into an open slot. The hidden powers of the Ultima Pterazord now activating, energy blades began to expand from its wings. "Let's see how you try this!"

"Eep!" Viki noticed the Pteranodon flying towards her with its increased speed. The Feather Rockets should've got her, but then again these people probably have had months of training prior to this.

"My turn!" Anna pulled the trigger on her piloting stick, **"Ptera Needles!"** A series of bright white needle-like bullets shoot out from its wings as the Falcozord dodged. Unfortunately, the needles fired turned out to be those of the homing variety as in an instant they were once again on her trail. No matter how hard or how desperately she tried to shake them off of her trail, the needles still continued to follow…

"Minizord Activate!" A Minizord, resembling a scorpion, morphed into its "storage mode as it was inserted into an open slot." Its hidden powers now active, two laser cannons instantly appeared mounted on the Tyranno-like Ultima Zord's shoulders.

Zack noticed the new power-up, "This…can't be good!" No time to be complaining, but to figure out how to overcome this disadvantage.

**"Null-Laser Cannons!"** The two cannons fired a pale reddish beam towards the now airborne Zord. The Ultima Zord fired more blasts, as the Dragozord dodged them all. "Hold still, damn it!"

"Nice shot!" Zack taunted, feeling he could keep this up all day. It was just like dodge ball back in his childhood. However, his premature-moment of triumph was interrupted by a hard blast from behind, knocking the Dragon-like zord down. "The Hell!"

"Nice shot, Tony!" Lex congratulated, smirking at the now-downed Zord.

"He's now open, Boss!" The Green Enforcer saluted as the Velocizord instantly appeared from behind.

"Damn…" Recovering, the Dragozord rose back to its feet. Within spotting the Tyrannozord and Velocizord, Zack knew he was in trouble. "Not good…"

"Let's finish him off!" The Velocizord's tail bent over as it was now mounted on its back as a beam began to charge. At the same time, the null-laser cannons of the Tyrannozord were charged. At that moment, Zack was in a pinch.

He could fly upward and let the Enforcers eliminate themselves, obviously. But odds are they already thought of it and that their guns can adjust its targeting to any moving target, whether they were airborne or below ground. He could just eject and take the cowards way out, but he knew that he wasn't going to abandon his friends. His decision was already made for him as he saw a large boulder hit the Velocizord hard on the head, knocking it down.

"The hell?"

"Y'all forgot about me?" Brad reminded as the Primalzord threw another boulder, this time at the Ultima Tyrannozord. This time, the blast that was reserved for the Dragozord was aimed at the incoming boulder.

Zack snickered, "I was wondering where'd ya go."

"Had to get a better 'vantage point." Brad returned the snicker as the Primalzord rushed forward to join the Dragozord in combat, "Not so great bein' on the receiving end of being the diversion isn't it."

"At least you didn't run away." Zack cracked his knuckles. "Now let's get 'em!"

"Right behind ya!" Brad initiated a few weapon sequences. "Magnitude Pound!"

"Whoa! Wait for me to get off the ground first!" Zack complained as the Dragozord quickly flew before the ground began to shake, causing the Tyrannozord to lose balance.

"Energy Breath!" A bright red beam fired from the mouth of the mecha dragon as it hit the downed Ultima Zord.

"Damn it! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU MORONS!" Lex screamed, as sparks began to fly within the cockpit.

"Uh oh…" Anna noticed her downed commander as she switch her attention to the other Sigma Zords. However, this did not nullify the needles – or what was left of them – that were constantly following the Falcozord.

"I need some help here!" Viki cried as, once again, her maneuvers are useless in evading the never-ending salvo. She's already took a few hits and one close call and she didn't know how long she could keep it up.

_"Viki, cut the power. Switch to glide mode."_ Brad suggested.

"What?"

_"Them needles are heat seekers! They're followin' the heat from yer Zord!"_

"Okay…" Viki typed into a few buttons. "I hope this works…" Soon after, the power began to shut down as the thrusters under its tail feathers went out. Now that there was no power to operate it, the Zord began to cool down to the point where the "needles" couldn't pick up any heat to direct them. As the Falcozord swooped downward, they continued their straight path towards a mountain where they eventually exploded upon contact. "It worked!"

Zack nodded, "Great! Now's a very good time to form the Megazord."

Brad agreed, "Sounds like a plan!"

Viki turned back on the power, "Thank goodness!" This three-on-three fight was a struggle at best. But with their combined power, perhaps they would stand a better chance.

…

_"Wh-Where am I?"_

_Blue eyes were opened as their owner desperately searching around. From his surroundings, he appeared to be in a small room. It wasn't exactly at the highest standards of living arrangements, but at least it was better than his previous location…_

_"Ah, you're awake." A man who appeared to be in his late 30s walked in. Relief was clearly shown in his eyes as he carried what appeared to be a new roll of medical tape. "I was worried that you would never awaken."_

_"What happened? Where am I?" His voice sounded so weak and hoarse. Here he was in an unfamiliar place, looking at an unfamiliar man._

_"Relax, my boy! While we've managed to treat your wounds, you're still gravely injured." He informed as he tried to move, only to feel a sharp pain in his leg. "You're very lucky that the bullet went straight through. Otherwise I hate to imagine the dire consequences." He smiled at the injured young man. "No need to be afraid. You are in a safe place, not even the Syrallian Soldiers can locate it. There are many survivors, but the majority is injured as well. Some even worse than you are!" He sighed, "It is truly a dark day on Vanicoor II… But those that survived and are able to continue to rebel against the Syrallian Invasion gives us a small ray of hope."_

_"So this is…a resistance?"_

_"Yes, young lad. We are Vanicoor's first, last, and unfortunately only line of defense that stands in the way of Pride. I'm so sorry for your loss…"_

_Even just thinking about it was enough to for him to feel a hard squeeze to his heart. The thought of what happened to his parents. His mum and dad! His cousins, his aunts, his uncles… Even his little sister! All killed! All slain like lamb in a slaughterhouse! All because him! That bastard! His so-called "brother!" Just thinking about him made him angrier! His thoughts of vengeance and hate subsided, as one more person, perhaps the only important person he had left, came to mind. "Tell me…" He said, "Do you know of a young lady with hair as red as a lovely rose and as long and smooth as silk, answers to the name of Maya Kalendas?"_

_Asked this question, the older man closed his eyes. Did he remember seeing a girl fitting this description? Was she an active member of the resistance, one of the survivors, or perhaps one of the injured? He stopped as he remembered a girl who clearly fit the description. He tilted his head downward. The young man took this with caution. Somehow, he knew that he wasn't going to like his answer…_

_"I'm sorry…" Was all he could say!_

_"You mean she's…" He couldn't say it. He couldn't even stand to think of it! Maya, the one last person he had on this planet that he held dear! She couldn't be! There was no way she could possibly be, as he felt the emotions of dread and sadness. "No… How?"  
_

"_When we've found her body. It was long past her time. I'm sorry that you had to find out this way…"_

_"Why…" He shook his head as he glared at the man. "Why? Why did you even bother to save me?"_

_He blinked, "Excuse me?"_

_"WHY DID YOU EVEN BOTHER TO SAVE ME!" He snapped, tears pouring from his eyes. "WHY DID YOU BOTHER!"  
_

"_We were only try to help?"_

_"WHAT'S THE BLOODY POINT OF LIVING IF EVERYONE YOU LOVE! EVERYONE YOU BLOODY CARE FOR IS DEAD!" He covered his face as sobs came from him. "I'm alone… I'm all alone…" His family was killed, and the only one who was left was the one who was responsible. He betrayed his family, his people, his planet! And why? Why would he do something so unforgivable? And now Maya, the only person he had left was dead. Right now, he didn't care what happened to him, whether he survived or not! If he died now, he wouldn't care. At least it would be better than this torture. And the only thing the elderly man could do was just being there for the boy. He's been through a lot, too much for someone of his age._

_**Two Months Later…**_

_"What the hell do you want with me?"_

_"I'm here to give you an offer." An older man said to young rebel, noting the skeptical look on his face. He wouldn't blame him, though. If he were in his position, he'd feel the same way. Then again, maybe not… "I know about what has happened here on Vanicoor II. I know about your loss! Your brother's betrayal!"_

_"What are you, stalking me now?" He wasn't sure whether to trust him or not. This bloke seemed to be suspicious, too suspicious to say the least. How did he know that he wasn't some spy for the Syrallian Army and that this wasn't a trap?_

_"I mean no harm to you." He assured. "What if I told you that there was a way for you to save your people, to save your planet?"  
_

"_I would say that you're quite the mad one!" The young man honestly stated his opinion. "In case you haven't noticed, just about everything is under control of the Syrallian Army. Even the bloody park is under the watch of some soldiers. How do I know I can fully trust you? Hell, _why_ should I trust you at all?"_

_"Because I know what you've been through. I know how it feels to lose the ones you love. I know how it feels to be betrayed. And I know first-hand how ruthless and unrelenting Pride and the Syrallian Army could be." He walked over to the cautious young man as he handed over to him a box. "I'll give you some time to think it over. If you accept my offer, I'll be waiting for you in Coast City on Earth. Don't rush into things, and take this time to think of this thoroughly. But I must let you know, that if you do accept this, there is a possible chance that you may not survive what lies ahead._

_As he watched the suspicious man walk away, it took everything he had inside to hold back from snorting. Survive? He might have found new friends and family with the resistance, but it wasn't as if dying would be the worst thing in the world either. He did admit to having somewhat of a death wish at times, but that didn't mean he'd make any rash decisions anytime soon…_

…

Awaken from his dreams, he looked out the window as he spotted the black, green, and white planet that was above. "This must be Earth…" He said to himself as he examined the planet where from here on in he'll call home… No… Where he'll be staying. Vanicoor II would always be his home. He didn't know what to expect, but if that guy's offer, his gift, would really help him, his planet, then it was wise to put it to full use.

Of course he was going to get settled first. After all, how can one help another if they can't help themselves? Maybe in a week or so he'll be in a good condition to drive away the Syrallian forces from Vanicoor and help his people. He wondered how they were doing right now? Hopefully they were safe, but knowing their condition it was anything but.

"We have now arrived on Earth!" The flight attendant informed on the PA. "We will be arriving in Coast City in 15 minutes. Please be seated and securely fashioned in your seatbelts and turn off all electronic portable devices at this time."

He sighed. This was the beginning of the rest of his life. Whether his decision to accept the offer was wise or not, he had no idea. Whether it would help his people on their once-beautiful planet, he knew less. Only the blue device attached to his wrist knew the answers for sure…

**Sigma HQ**

'What is it about them…' Ezekiel wondered as he reviewed the footage of the ranger's battle with Pride's Ultima Enforcers. Even their weapons looked familiar. Their whole presence brought a feeling that was so…ancient. But what was it that made them so familiar? He knew he'd seen this power before, but where?

The older man switched towards a monitor that showed a shuttlecraft entering Earth's atmosphere, headed for the Coast City spaceport. A small smile formed on his face. "So he accepted my offer…" While he did have his doubts about him, but in truth, he knew he'd come to Earth. It was now a matter of time…

He resumed his monitoring duties towards the continuing battle of Zords… The only thing he could hope was for the rangers to be careful. He had a cryptic feeling that the enforcers have only showed a fraction of their power…

**Chrysalis Canyon**

"Seraph Megazord Formation Sequence, Engage!" Zack commanded. It was best to form the Megazord now and hit 'em fast while the Ultimas were down.

_"Initiating Seraph Megazord Forma-"_

"NOT THIS TIME!" Climbing back into his seat, an enraged Tony held a Minizord resembling a teal grasshopper. "MINIZORD ACTIVATE!" The Minizord quickly slipped into its designated slot, as the rubble that trapped the Velocizord was blasted away in an instant. Its mounted tail soon transformed into a large cannon aimed at the transforming Sigma Zords. **"PROTON CANNON!"**

"EEEP!" Viki noticed the large, pale green beam headed towards their direction, just when the Falcozord was going to connect with the Dragozord onto the back of the Megazord.

"SAM HELL!" Brad also noticed the beam blasted from the recovered Velociozord. That boy was freaking daffy!

"ABORT NOW!" Zack desperately tried to cancel the Megazord formation sequence. However, it was too late as the beam connected, blasting all three zords, near the finalization of the transformation, off into different directions.

"DAMN IT GLUTE, WE'RE ON YOUR SIDE!" Lex snapped as he felt the beam now hitting the Tyrannozord, causing sparks to burst from the control panels. Just what was with that guy, anyway? But it's good that at least he managed to send those Sigma Snots flying.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?" The Pterazord was shot down as the Velociozord continued its rampage, blasting everything in sight.

"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!" As if he was in a trance, Tony continued to fire his cannon as the Velociozord destroyed a good chunk of the area. He didn't care who or what was in the way! Whatever he saw, it was good as destroyed. "!"

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ Their Zords damage and separated on an isolated island, the rangers must find a way to escape from the enforcers, who are ready to finish the job. Are the rangers done for or will help arrive?

**Chapter 7:** Island Battle! Handsome Blue Stranger!


	7. Island Battle! Handsome Blue Stranger!

**Chapter 7:** Island Battle! Handsome Blue Stranger

"Jackpot!" Karl exclaimed as the cue-ball successfully knocked the 8-ball into the corner pocket for the win! "How much do you owe me now, $40? $50?"

"Agh, go to hell…" Another African-American young man with his hair done in corn-rolls angrily threw a fifty dollar bill onto the table. "You just got lucky!"

"Just like I did the last five times I beat ya, Wes! Just get over it and pay up!"

"Don't get too comfortable! I'm getting my money back! Rac-" He stopped for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Oh no…"

"What's up?" Karl asked as he rubbed chalk onto the tip of the cue.

"Did Zack ever come back?" He asked, smelling a scent of perfume all of a sudden.

"Actually, I didn't even notice him entering the building, if he is in the building. Why?" Karl's answer would come as he heard the loud banging sound of fists connecting to the door.

Wes winced, "Damn, does she have to knock that hard?"

"OPEN THIS DOOR! I _KNOW_ YOU'RE IN HERE, SLACKER!"

"Does she have to scream that loud, too?"

Karl sighed, 'Zack what did you do to get her angry!' He walked to the door, and at the moment he turned the knob, it was as if he was roughly pushed back as the angry girl stormed in.

Wes sighed, "How can I be of assistance to-"

"Oh save it, Benta!" Videl snapped as she looked around, cradling the "baby" in one arm. "Where's Zack! You wouldn't have seen him around would you? And don't even think about vouching for him! Cause I know that he hardly does anything but eat and sleep!"

"Wouldn't you like to sit down and relax for a bit, a cold beverage perhaps?" Wes offered, a bit in a flirtatious style perhaps. "I mean it must've been a long-"

She scoffed, "Like I would want anything from this dump!" She continued to walk…more like storm through the halls as much as her designer stilettos would allow. Note to self, take them off for a while to rest her sore feet. Breaking in new heels could be so painful, but they did have their benefits. For one, she'll be able to "place" them on a suitable resting place: One on her so-called "husband's" crotch, the other his neck! She pointed towards a door in the far hallway. "This is his room, right?"

"Well…" Karl felt the "baby" being placed in his arms as he saw the angry girl walking towards the door.

"ZACK, GET YOUR SLACKING BUTT OUT HERE, YOU LOSER! TRY TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS FOR ONCE!" Videl screamed in a manner that might as well woke up the whole Wolf Blue dorm. "DAMN IT! I'LL BREAK THIS DOOR DOWN IF I HAVE TOO! DON'T BELIEVE ME? MY POWER ALLOWS ME TO SUCCEED IN WHAT I DO, AND WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS BUST DOWN THIS DOOR AND BEAT THE LIVING SNOT OUT OF YOU!"

Karl noted the fierce yet trivial threatening, "This can't be good for the baby, right?"

Wes sighed, "It hasn't been a week and already it's going downhill." If there was a time he cursed his enhanced senses, this was now.

With a groan of frustration and defeat, Videl took the baby back from Karl before deciding to take a seat on the couch. As she removed her white heels, she crossed her legs while cradling the baby close.

"Planning on stayin' here for a while?" Karl asked, trying to start conversation.

"I'm staying right here, I don't care if I have to – god forbid – sleep right here! When Zack comes here, I and the baby _will_ be the first thing he sees!"

"…You do know that Zack can just teleport into his room, right?" As Wes narrowly dodged the thrown shoe, he sighed. "Forget I asked."

"Oh _what_-ever…" Annoyed with Dumb and Dumber's expected uselessness, Videl decided to just walk back to her dorm, barefoot. To hell with her shoes, she could just buy another pair. Coming here was a complete waste of time, now she'll most like likely get scrapes and cuts on her soles and it was all Zack's fault! Note to self, give him a huge slap in the face and a kick in the nuts the next time she saw him.

**Sigma HQ**

"Zack can you read me, come in! Zack! Brad! Viki!" Ezekiel sighed. This wasn't good. He knew that the Ultima Enforcers were specially trained and more experienced, but he didn't know how powerful they really were. But at least it was confirmed now: Not only Pride had already obtained three Minizords, but has managed to use them against the rangers. He didn't want to resort to this, but now that Pride and the Syrallian Army have raised the stakes, they had little to no other choice.

_"How do you like my new Ultima Enforcers, Ezekiel?"_ A familiar voice taunted through the com-link as the older man narrowed his eyes…

"Pride…"

_"Despite their lack of battle experience, I've expected your rangers to put up more of a fight. But then again, thanks to the source of the enforcers' power, their rather-lackluster performance was to be expected. I believe we both know what I'm talking about."_

"What could possibly contain that much-" He stopped abruptly as his eyes widened in realization. The helmet designs, the weapons… It was all making sense now. "You didn't…"

_"Yes…"_ Pride explained, _"I wanted to make sure that my ultimate taskforce was strong enough to handle any threat that would stand in their way, and what better than the Zeo Crystal to make sure of that? Of course, it's not as powerful as it once was in its current condition, but as you've witnessed already, it is more than enough to put your rangers on the ropes. Now it's only a matter of time when my enforcers will finish the job."_

"Judging by that last battle, I say that your enforcers aren't in much better condition!"

_"You seem to be forgetful in your old age! Otherwise, you'll remember that within each use of the Zeo Crystal its power becomes stronger. I've already predicted Glute's unpredictable nature of insanity. As we speak, the enforcers' powers are returning, much stronger than previously. It'll be just a matter of time we'll see who'll survive the next battle: Your rangers or my enforcers."_

"This isn't the end, Pride!"

_"No Ezekiel. This is just the beginning. Soon I will have all of the Minizords in my grasp, and the whole galaxy will succumb to the power and dominance of Syral. And there will nothing you or your rangers can do…to stop it!"_

The connection was lost as a fist slammed onto the surface out of aggravation. Now that he knew that the lost Zeo Crystal was the source of their power, finding the rangers was vital. It was difficult enough for the rangers to take on the more experienced enforcers, but with the Zeo Crystal as their power source, it was going to become tougher and tougher within each encounter. Some measures had to be taken…

Ezekiel's thoughts were interrupted by the hiss of the sliding door open, as he heard footsteps, he didn't bother to turn around. He already knew who it was that entered. "Good, you're here. We don't have much time." Formalities could wait for later, as this was a more important matter. Much more important…

…

"Owie…"

Blue eyes slowly opened as their owner took a glance at her surroundings. No longer was she in the cockpit of her zord, she was now in what appeared to be a tropical island. She could feel the cool breeze onto her fair skin as the sun shined down on her.

Viki shook her head. This couldn't be right! Wasn't she in a zord battle against the Ultima Enforcers moments ago until Zack, Brad and she got blown sky high? Or was that all just a dream? Just a horrid dream that was thankfully over!

She looked down at her petite body. Even her clothes were different. She was just wearing jeans and T-shirt moments ago. Now she was in a one-piece bikini that wasn't too restrictive yet not too revealing. Was all what has just happened been a dream? Her meeting Zack and Brad? Them becoming rangers? The attack by the Syrallian army? Hell, did school even started yet? This could still be the start of summer break for all she knew.

_"Aww… Isn't the little girl enjoying herself?"_

Viki quickly looked around for the sound of the voice. That familiar voice… "Who's there?"

"_Aww… Am I frightening you? Did you really think you can just sit back and relax and forget our first encounter, dear?"_

Now she knew that voice for sure. "But how-?"

_"Can you hear me but can't see me?"_ Anna taunted. _"You're feeling the effects of my Psychic Illusion! I can trap all who I choose within another world filled with their fantasies, desires…"_ She snickered, _"Guilty pleasures."_

"So you mean…"

_"That's right, little girl! This is all just an illusion. Nothing more! You're not on a tropical island! You're not on vacation! Right now you're in for a world of hurt!"_

"What?" Before she could fathom this turn of events, she felt the sole of a boot hit her hard in the face. As she landed on the ground, she found herself not on the tropical island, but a forest. She was now once again in her regular clothes as she looks to see the smirking, devious blonde standing before her.

"Sorry to ruin your little fantasy, but I have to kill you now!" Anna flipped a strand of her hair back with a finger as Viki rose to her feet

Viki was left with two choices. She could A) Fight to defend herself, despite her disadvantage. Or she could B) Run as far as she can while Anna, who probably had some form of transportation, could hunt her down.

…

"Should've known Ah'd have to use this…" Brad muttered as he looked at his handheld tracking system, but he didn't need it to know that he was no longer in Coast City. Within sight of his surroundings, he knew he was in some forested terrain. His zord was confirmed to be fried, but that was the least of his worries. Finding a way back home was the bigger issue especially with the likely chance of the enforcers still out there.

At the sound of the sudden rustling of leaves reaching his ear, the Texan paused as he looked around. He didn't need his handheld to realize that he had company, but not in the friendly kind. More of the hostile of sorts! Nevertheless, zord or no zord he will have to find his way out of here and it wasn't just for his sake. He knew Zack could handle himself and would stay calm, but Viki on the other hand? Cheerful and optimistic perhaps, but an outdoors person, she wasn't. If anything she was more like a housecat. Therefore, it was best for her to be found quickly before she gets herself hurt or worse.

As he looked down at his handheld for directions, within moments it was shot out of his hand in an instant.

Favoring his nearly-wounded hand, Brad looked around, "Who's out there! Show yerself!" He took in a deep breath as he looked around. The enemy was hiding somewhere and from where he stood he was in a good spot. As he closed his eyes, he began to focus. 'Gotta listen to the sound… Remain calm…' If it was who he thought it was his eyes wouldn't help at all. The sound from his steps would be his only ally. He let out a groan of frustration. He hated waiting! It was so… Irritating! Why couldn't the enemy just show himself so the fight could start already, so he could pound him into dust!

Due to the lack of energy in his morpher that was likely the result of the explosion, he was without his blaster this time. It would be brute strength against the ranged weapons of his stalker. Nevertheless he had to be careful. He may've not been able to morph, but that didn't mean Tony couldn't either. Regardless, Brad would have to be careful. It could be him against Tony or against Tony, Lex, and Anna.

"SURPRISE BUTTSECKS!"

"DON' THINK SO!" Brad countered the surprise attack with an arm toss which slammed Tony onto the ground! "That ain't much of a surprise attack, brah! Why don't y'all try again?"

Tony let out a manic chuckle, "Oooooh, an enemy with intuition! How interesting…"

"What the hell y'all up to?" Brad's been ready to fight and now was willing to go at it no matter how long it took.

"Oh nothing, 'CEPT FOR THE FACT THAT WE'RE GONNA FREAKING KILL YA!" Tony kip-upped to his feet as he went for a pounce once again, but a simple leg sweep took him down once again.

It was make or break time. If Brad didn't stop Tony now, never mind him getting hurt! This Syrallian was so crazy he'd probably even hurt himself! As much as Tony taking himself out would be beneficial to them, he couldn't let that happen. For one, because Rangers don't advocate suicide - Intentional or not - no matter who they were. And another, if he was to beat someone in a fight, it'd be by his own hand! As he saw Tony using the damaged Primal zord as stepping stone for a leap attack, Brad decided to challenge him with a good 'ole fashioned right hook. At the time of impact, Brad landed a direct punch, however…

"Ow…" Brad quickly brought his hand back, shaking the pain from what he couldn't but should've believed Tony could do. He could already imagine the blood beginning to leak from the fresh wound. "Can't believe ya bit me!"

Tony licked his lips at taste of his adversary's blood, "Yummy yummy, blood in my tummy!"

'Damn it all!' Brad hated running away, but knowing how far that… cannibalistic psychopath was willing to go. He'd feel much better dealing with him when he can morph! That boy would bite right though his Rock Form if he could. Lunatic…

…

Zack shook his head as he took a deep breath, analyzing the situation. It was at least 10, 11 O'clock at night and while he should be in his bed getting as much sleep as he possibly can considering his project (or partner, depending how one would look at it), what was he doing? He was in the middle of some jungle with a wrecked zord and a morpher that barely had any power left. Of course, until it recharges it'd be little to no use to him. Hopefully the moonlight above would be a sufficient power source. It wasn't as good as the sun or the power charger back in Sigma HQ, but it'll have to do.

The first thing he had to do was to find Brad and Viki. Knowing the Ultima Enforcers, they were most likely lurking around ready to strike and finish the job. It was better for them to be a united front then to be on their own to be easily picked off one-by-one. Not to mention the state of power in their morphers… or lack thereof. As he walked through the treacherous jungle, hoping to find either Brad, or Viki, or possibly both, the sound of crickets chirping entered his ears.

It wasn't until he was halfway into the forest he stopped in his track before shaking his head at his own negligence. "What am I doing?" As he closed his eyes, he activated his teleportation abilities, hoping to get him back into Sigma HQ, the school, hell anywhere in Coast City would do! At least it would be a start. However, when he opened his eyes he found the wreckage that was the Drago zord standing before him. "Oh goddamn it!" Either he'd use too much of his powers or he was too far from his target destination, either way his powers wouldn't be much of a factor in getting off the island. Damn, Ezekiel was right. He _did_ need to develop his powers more…

"Let's try this again…" Zack once again trekked into path filled with trees, plants, and possibly savage animals. He had to search for his friends quickly before those Ultima bastards did…

"Aww what's wrong? Did all of your friends leave you? Or you just can't find them?"

Zack stopped as he looked around. He already knew that voice, "Not today!"

"Oh c'mon! Did you really thing you Ranger Ruffians could escape so easily?" Lex taunted, stepping from behind a nearby tree.

"Y'know…" Zack sighed, almost in a mocking manner, "For a moment there, I did." He didn't really want to fight right now. Lex could probably morph, while he couldn't. His first priority was finding the others. The clown in front of him he could deal with later. But life rarely if ever went your way. Unfortunately, this was not one of those times. Seeing that he was tired, could barely teleport, and not in the mood for a fight where he'd be hitting his opponent less than the blows he gave out, running was the best option.

The chase and race for survival began as the rangers attempted to flee from their enforcer counterparts. With the hour gone by as fatigue began to caught up with them, the rangers did not know how long they could hold out for before the enforcers caught up to them.

"It's pointless to hide!" Lex called out as he searched around the trees. "Just accept your fate, Loser!" Within a few more glances around the area, he cursed. "Damn it, where are ya, ya little shit?" Unknown to him above, Zack utilized what little power he had left within him to teleport as much as enough to avoid Lex's line of sight. As he nearly slipped off the branch he was perched on, he realized that he was near his limit.

…

"Hmmm…" Tony scratched his head with the barrel of his gun while looking around, "Now where could my little buddy in green have gone?" He searched around the more muddy terrain. "Come out come out wherever you are! SO I CAN TURN YA INTO SWISS CHEESE!" Within a few yards away from the muddy terrain he just walked trough, a rocky figure emerged from the mud breathing heavily.

"That…was a… close one…" Brad wasn't sure he could've held his breath much longer before he had to blow his cover or risk drowning. Before he was just tired, now he was tired and muddy, but no matter. He could always just jump into the nearest river and rinse off.

…

"She couldn't have gone far…" Anna muttered to herself as she kept walking around. Just where was she anyway? She could've turned herself into any animal, but she still wouldn't have gotten far!

"Damn it all! Where can that little bitch be?" She continued searching, ignoring the squirrels and birds looking onward. "This is stupid…" She scoffed before hearing a beeping sound. She checked her tracking system before a smile formed on her lips. "Hmm… What's this I see? A minizord on this island? Looks like an opportunity to score higher points with the general than those other losers." She could always kill Viki later. Right now, this was her big chance to show how not only she was a good enforcer, but that perhaps she deserved her own squad. What sucked was that she'd have to once again dirty her hands. But the rewards were worth it. Much worth it…

A lone squirrel broke from its group as it scurried up a tree and onto a branch, watching the blonde walking away. When she was no longer in site, the squirrel scurried back down as from behind a tree, another blonde girl appeared.

Viki sighed, "Thought she'd never leave…" Now that Anna was occupied, she could focus on finding Zack and Brad, wherever those guys were. She decided to put whatever power her morpher had left to use. "Guys, can you hear me? Zack? Brad?" No response… Theirs might've been out like hers. Maybe HQ would bring better luck, "Ezekiel, can you hear me? Anyone?" The only thing that came out was static. "No good…"

Great… just great! She was in the middle of nowhere on an island she knew nothing about with no way to contact her friends. And there probably wasn't anyone around either who could help! What a time to be stuck on an island, huh?

Then again, Viki manage to spot someone. Was it Zack? No it wasn't him? Brad? No, not him either. While it may've been dark, the moon did show enough light to tell that this guy wasn't either of them. He had brown hair which was spiked up a bit, dreamy blue eyes, and he was a snazzy dresser at least. A blue button-up long sleeve shirt and black slacks? Not too shabby! He was such a h-"

Viki shook her head, 'Get it together, girl…' Now was not the time to be checking out guys, let alone falling in love with them! Besides, what if he was just another one of Anna's tricks? Then again, what if he wasn't? Worse, what if he was part of the Syrallian Army, whether as an Ultima Enforcer or just a grunt? There was such a thing as "too good to be true," and this guy was a very good example of that. Otherwise, why would he be out here of all places? Her eyes met those blue eyes. Those dreamy blue eyes…

"Nonononono…" They had already made eye contact. It was too late to turn away. He had seen her! That was the price of her losing focus on the mission. With the unfortunate event in mind, there was only one thing to do…

"RUN AWAY!" Viki fled as fast as she could before he had the chance to speak. She didn't care how cute he was, she wasn't going to put herself into a position to be ambushed! Not again!

…

"Whew…" Zack sighed as he sat down on a branch of the next tree he had teleported himself to. He's been teleporting to avoid Lex so long he couldn't even teleport anymore. Now it was time for a rest, as short as it probably was.

"Now to find the others…" Soaked but somewhat clean, Brad resumed his original objective before the Ultima Incident: Finding Zack and Viki. He knew he had to be quick, who knew when that psycho or his pals might show up again.

Zack groaned at the sound of leaves and grass crunching by footsteps, "Aw man, what a drag…" It was so nice to just relax and not have to teleport every 30 seconds. Apparently Lex was back.

Brad was alerted to the sound of leaves brushing against each other. Tony was back for more apparently, now he was waiting for the perfect ambush. 'Like hell he is…'

'Oh that's it…' Zack shook his head. No matter what he did there was no way for him to escape. The answer was clear, he had to fight him. Otherwise, the only thing he'd succeed at is wearing himself out! Even if Lex did morph and he couldn't, so what? He was screwed no matter what he did.

'Ain't no turning back, now…' Brad rushed over to the tree! He ain't gonna get sniped by that wacko! Not if he knocked him down first!

"KYAHH!"

"YAHHH!"

The two rangers proceeded on the attack in a desperate attempt to take out their respective enemies before they could respond. However, as it turns out, the "enemies" they targeted in truth were each other.

Zack landed hard on his back from the furious punch. "Damn, did you have to punch me that hard?" He rubbed his jaw in pain.

"Well you've just jump kicked me in the face." Brad responded, imagining a boot print on his forehead. "Let me guess, you thought Ah was one of them enforcers?"

Zack brushed himself off, "I've been teleporting nonstop to avoid Lex. It took me forever to lose him!"

"Ah've just had a run in with Tony myself!" Brad shook his head, "Can't believe that boy actually bit me!"

"Desperate times man, desperate times…" Zack took this time to recollect. Now all that was left was to find Viki, wherever the hell she was…

"Has there been any sign of communication from Viki?"

"Not a clue…" Both rangers began to worry, knowing that the Ultimas were out looking for them. They've managed to find each other, but for all they knew _they_ could be together as a group against her right now.

…

'Don't look back, don't look back…' Viki continued to run, not caring at all where she went. No matter how dirty, messy, or creepy it may be, at least it would be away from them! Anna was already much of a pain, and who knew how worse Lex and Tony could be. As for "Mr. Too good to be true" himself, she wasn't going to take any chances. She couldn't afford to take any chances. This wasn't some game! This was a real life or death situation which her actions decide in the long run the fate of not only Earth, but the other planets as well!

As she ran into a nearby cave, it wasn't until she was halfway in did she realize the gradual increase of darkness. 'What am I doing?' It was already dark enough outside without running into a cave. She quickly turned around to quickly return to the only source of light that was available to her. However within a step she felt her foot sink into the ground. "Huh?" She tried to move it, but it only made it sink lower. 'Oh no…' She tried to step back, but her other foot began to sink as well. 'Please not now… Please not now…' She decided to just stay still. She would otherwise just make the hole she was digging deeper, figuratively and literally. But that too would be in vain as in a matter of seconds, the floor began to give weigh… "Eep!"

…

Zack blinked, "W-what the?"

"Sam hell?" Brad turned to the source of the faint scream. "Was that Viki?"

"Damn it, all!" If he and Brad manage to somehow hear her scream, no doubt that the Ultimas heard her as well! Right now, Viki was headed straight towards a 3-on-1 ambush.

"It came from over there!" Brad pointed, "Zack, teleport now!" He was met with angry brown eyes in response…

"I _know_ you did not just tell me to teleport!"

"Y'really wanna run that badly?"

"It's all we can do! Let's move quickly!" The two rangers quickly rush towards the source of their friend's latest crisis. In both rangers' mind, they thought about the Ultimas also headed towards the same location. Hopefully, they'll make it in time before them, for Viki's sake.

…

"Where am I?"

As she shook her head, Viki looked around at her surroundings. It wasn't as dark as it was above, but quite the opposite. The whole place was glowing green as large piles of crystals appeared to be the source of this illumination.

"It looks so beautiful." She couldn't believe that something that looked so beautiful, so bright could actually appear here of all places! As she walked over to a small shard, she grabbed the piece to examine. Should she take one for a souvenir, or some to make money? Think about all the great things she could get from this. New clothes, jewelry, even a…"

She shook her head, "Nononono…" This was the wrong time to be thinking about increasing her wealth. What was important was finding a way out of this place, safe and sound. Preferably without running into Anna, that guy, or any other of the Ultima Enforcers! She looked down at the greenish shard. She knew she shouldn't, but it looked so pretty, so beautiful, so…

Viki threw the shard down to the dirt. She shouldn't and wouldn't be distracted by trivial materialistic things! …Even if they were beautiful and so wonderful… And amazing… And could help her out financially… "Okay, maybe just this one…"

"You know it's quite funny how we keep meeting like this…"

Viki froze at the sound of her voice, the _last_ person she wanted to see right now. As she looked at the source, she saw her. Black and Pink skirt uniform, long wavy bleached blonde hair with the sides in pigtails. As she looked down to the shard she was holding, she shook her head. "…Please don't tell me I fell for it again…"

"You don't have to cry, this isn't my work." Anna assured as she stroked the edge of a nearby crystal. "Even I wouldn't do something as devious as mimicking true beauty. A shame I can't say the same about you!"

"Why are you here, anyway? What are you after?"

The Syrallian scoffed, "Please, like I'm going to pass up a chance of finding another Minizord!"

Surprise was on the petite blonde's face, "A Minizord's here?"

"Duh, why else would-" She scoffed, "Oh for the love of-Don't tell me you got here by complete accident!" Again, _how_ did this girl become a ranger?

"Hey!" Viki responded in offense, "I found this place! And now that I know that there is a Minizord here, I'm not going to let you leave with it!"

Anna snickered, "That's funny. Do you really think you can stop me?"

"No matter what it takes, I stop you! One way or another…" Viki prepared her morpher, as she sighed. "Please work…" There was no more running away. If she was going down, she'd at least go down fighting.

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

…

…

"Huh?" Viki noticed no change, nothing from her morpher! Trying again…

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

…

…

"Uhh…" Fear was beginning to show on her face. 'Please work this time…'

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

…

…

Anna feigned yawning, "Are you done playing ranger, wannabe?"

'Still out of power…' Viki's confidence was gradually decreasing. After all that and her morpher still hasn't regained power. 'Maybe trying to contact the others used some of its power...'

"Let me show you how it's really done!" A morpher appeared on Anna's wrist. "Watch carefully now… _ULTIMA TRANSFORM!_" Within moments Anna's enforcer suit appeared around her body, leaving Viki at a serious disadvantage.

She whined, "No fair…"

"It would be despicable to attack an underpowered opponent…" Anna teased, "Then again, I really don't mind playing dirty…"

"So this is it then…" Viki eyes narrowed. She was underpowered, out-classed, and out-matched. It was just her and Anna. Zack and Brad weren't going to save her this time, but then again, Lex and Tony wouldn't be saving Anna either. She wasn't going to run away. She already knew where _that_ has gotten her. And besides, she still had some power. It may have not compared to the powers of Ultima Pink, but she still had power to use. She held her hands up, ready to fight.

"Like lamb into slaughter…" Anna taunted, preparing to fight as well.

"Don't underestimate me!"

"Don't overestimate yourself." Anna responded to her target's obviously-empty threat with a front kick Viki narrowly dodged as the fight between the girls who proudly wore pink began. Due to her obvious disadvantage against the Syrallian, all Viki could do mostly was dodge and block Anna's blows while landing the occasional blow. Of course, it had little to no effect, but any damage was better than no damage at all.

Anna step-flipped a kick off from Viki, "Time to end this… **ULTIMA AERO BLITZ!**" Within a leap to the sky, she dived at a tremendous speed with a surge of energy flowing around her. It was over, there was no way the defenseless ranger could dodge this. However, the only impact she had made was with the shard-filled ground as above her a small bird quickly flew to the sky…

'Now's my chance…' Anna was defenseless and was open for an attack and Viki knew that this was the only chance if she had any hope of beating her. 'I'm going for it!' As she gained enough altitude, the bird instantly morphed into a large elephant as it dropped down in hopes of crushing Ultima Pink. However, upon impact, Anna managed to barely catch the elephant within seconds of being crushed.

"Engh… Nice try!" With a grunt of effort, Anna threw the elephant into the pile of crystals as the sound of glass shattering was heard.

"Owie…" The sharp puncturing pain of small broken shards was felt on all sides as Viki barely moved an inch. Adding to the pain of her ribs, Viki found herself in a fatal situation. Blood slowly began to pour from the fresh wounds as Anna walked closer, pulling out her Ultima Blaster…

"I warned you not to overestimate yourself, and now look what's happened to you." She taunted to the injured girl. "It was fun playing with you, but now it's time to end this!"

"No…"

"ULTIMA BLASTER, FULL POWER!" Within aim of her target, Anna pulled the trigger as the burst of energy made its contact to the defenseless ranger. It wasn't the fact that she won that was a concern, but how fast it took! She thought it'd be over in a matter of seconds, given Viki's skills or lack thereof, but the pansy in pink managed to put up some fight instead of running away. At least now she could look for the Minizord. As she looked on to her tracker, an eyebrow raised. Apparently the Minizord's location has changed. It was as if it was moving closer. It was as if –"The hell?"

As the smoke cleared, Viki appeared to still be in one piece encased in some form of force field, much to the surprise of both girls: Viki's out of amazement and Anna's out of frustration.

'Did I do this?' She asked, wondering if this was some new power she had. Whatever it was, it was a good thing it kicked in just in time!

"I don't understand this!" Anna was beside herself, there was no way that this girl of all people could be this strong, much less without her ranger powers! Shape-shifting into Animals, maybe, but even then she was still no match! Unless…

"It figures that you'd try to attack a defenseless opponent! But then again, I'd expect only the worse from you Syrallians."

'That voice…' Anna narrowed her eyes. It sounded familiar, a slight European flavor to it. And the arrogance that surrounded it only served to anger her even more. "Where the hell are you? Come out here you creep!"

"I suppose I should grant you an audience, as unlike you I don't need to use cheap tactics."

Viki looked towards the source of the voice. It was starting to make sense, this force field that appeared around her. It had to be him who saved her! As she actually saw her savior, once again she was surprised. It was _him_! That guy she ran away from earlier! Whom she thought was with the enforcers! He saved her, but why? How did he fit in all of this?

Anna scoffed as she saw sight of him, "Somebody's got a death wish…"

"I'm not planning on going to the afterlife yet!" He declared, "Not when there are scoundrels like you plaguing the universe!"

Viki tried to say something but a hand was placed onto her shoulder…

"Save your strength…" He said.

"You're…"

"The name's Mike! A pleasure to meet you! It's not every day a beautiful girl takes a look at me, screams and runs away. You were quite difficult to track down."

"Sorry to ruin this bonding experience, but I do have my orders to fulfill!" Anna aimed her blaster.

"Wait right here…" Mike said to Viki in a soothing voice before walking towards Anna. "I'll deal with you myself!"

"So much for not planning on going to the afterlife…" Anna scoffs, "Entertain me!"

"Viki may not be able to morph, but I can!"

Viki blinked at Mike's claim as a morpher appeared on his wrist, "Wait a minute, could he be…"

Anna let out a groan of frustration as Mike held a key card in his hand, 'Don't tell me there's another one!'

"…one of us?"

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

Mike found his body covered in a blue light before levitating and spinning. Next, a blue digital matrix covered his body before crossing his arms, crossing one leg behind the other in a step while extending his arms before moving them to the side of the opposite direction. "_Flowing Water, Blue Sigma Ranger!"_

Anna looked on in disgust, "Great, just what we need: More rangers!"

"And it just got worse for you!" Mike pointed towards the Syrallian. "Time to feel the wrath of justice!"

"Whatever!" Anna had enough talking as she pulled the trigger. However, Mike managed to dodge the blast and landed a kick on her for good measure. "Bastard!" Anna placed the gun back into its holster as she rose to her feet… "ULTIMA SHIELD!"

"CARD 1, EXECUTE!" As Mike swiped in another card, a fairly-large blue shield appeared in his hand as spikes appeared to make up the majority of this weapon as there were blades on the shield's edges. "HYDRO SHIELD!"

"Just because your shield's bigger doesn't mean it's better!" Anna threw her shield in a discus-like fashion as Mike repelled it with his own, "Damn…" As the shield returned to her hand, she had to admit that he was good. At least much better than Viki, but then again who wasn't?

Viki watched on as Mike and Anna fought hand-to-hand and shield-to-shield. While she was glad to see him hold his own against her, as well as having another ranger on the team, she had to admit feeling a bit down. He was doing a lot better than she did, and it wasn't because he could morph. Speaking of which, she looked down at her own morpher, wondering if it had finished recharging.

"AQUA STREAM!" Mike aimed the bottom tip of the shield at her as a strong jet stream of water is fired. However, Anna managed to dodge the attack, leaving nearby a pile of crystals to be shattered by the blast. He scoffs in disgust, 'The timing still needs work, it seems…'

Anna rushed forward as the two shields clashed with each other. While Mike's shield was bigger and most-likely stronger, it was hers that was faster and more maneuverable. Sparks began to fly when shields began to make contacts to their respective suits. With a flip kick off of Mike's shield, her eyes narrowed. 'One more time…' Viki may've lucked out but this time she'll hit it…

"**ULTIMA AERO BLITZ!**" With a leap, she once again dived towards her target. Unlike last time, she was going to hit it this time!

'That's it…' Mike waited for his chance as she began her dive before moving in to take advantage… "SIGMA HYDRO BUBBLE!" His hands cupped together and brought towards his chest, Mike shot them forward as when opened, a bubble shot towards the diving enforcer as, before she had the chance to dodge, she found herself diving right towards it.

"What the hell?" Anna found herself trapped inside of a blue sphere. She tried to break free, but the stretching from her blows proved it to be futile.

"I think this suits someone of your personality!" Mike declared to the floating captive, "That's my Hydro Bubble! Once in, I decide if you deserve to be free!"

"YOU BASTARD!" Anna continued to desperately pound on the bubble to free herself, but to no avail.

"I saw you tried that attack on Viki and knew you'd try this again. So I planned a little surprise for you on your way down."

'He's amazing…' Viki saw Anna's futile attempts of escape as she stood up. She knew she had to get her act together as well instead of looking completely helpless.

Mike noticed the injured girl standing, "Viki, you're hurt! Stand back!"

"Don't care! I have to do something!"

"Can you even morph?"

"If I had a fully-charged morpher, yeah!" Viki then felt a small sphere-like device placed in her hand.

"That should recharge your morpher." Mike explained. It was best not to fight her on this. One had to admire her persistence, even if it was unwise.

'This should work this time…' With a nod, she placed it into a small slot on her morpher as a surge of energy fully-charged her morpher.

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

This time, it was a success as Viki, now in her ranger suit, did a slight cheer. "Finally…"

"Now then, Viki! Let's end this toge-GAHH!"

"Mike!" Viki saw the blue ranger blasted into another pile of Crystals before looking for the source, knowing who was responsible as another shot freed Anna from the bubble.

"Not exactly green, but he'll do…" The morphed Green Enforcer snickered, blowing the barrel of his rifle as the Red Enforcer checked on Anna.

He scoffed, "Taking a break?"

"Fuck off, Lex." Anna stood up as she saw the Viki helping Mike up. "Looks like the tables have turned."

"Yeah baby!" Tony laughed, "Three enforcers versus two stupid rangers! I wonder who'll win!"

"How 'bout four rangers?"

"Say wha-?" Tony turned around only to be hit with red and green lasers in stereo. "HEY, SNIPING'S MY JOB!"

"Zack! Brad!" Viki cried in relief.

Zack snickered as the other two rangers rushed into the scene, "Looks like the moonlight was enough to recharge the morphers."

"Hold on! Who's he?" Brad pointed to the blue ranger.

"The name's Mike, but that's not important right now." He explained, "We need to deal with the enforcers."

Within a groan of frustration, Lex saw that the numbers were not in their favor. "This is pathetic… Retreat!"

"Damn… Funtime's over…" Tony shook his head as the enforcer proceeded to leave the area.

"Another time, little girl!" Anna pointed towards Viki before joining her friends. As soon as the enforcers were gone…

"Power down!" Zack, Brad, and Viki demorphed…

"Power down!" As did Mike as he saw the faces of his new teammates. The questionable expression of Zack's, the suspiciousness of Brad's, and the questioning of Viki's! He already knew that questions were going to be asked.

"Now we can look for the Minizord now that the Ultimas are gone." Viki stated much to Zack and Brad's shock…

"There's a Minizord here?"

"It's already been taken care of." Mike assured as what appeared to be a small turquoise frog instantly appeared on his shoulder. "While you and Anna were having your little chat, I decided to retrieve this little guy before she noticed."

"Cool!" Zack nodded, impressed. "You do have a way off this island, right?"

"Of course!" Mike typed in a familiar combination on the number pad of his morpher. "Your zords may be damaged, but mine is fully operational!"

As the four rangers quickly found the exit from the area, they were greeted by what appeared to be a giant blue robotic, spike-shelled snapping turtle rising from the water. "Allow me to introduce you to my Tortoise Zord. Our ticket off of this island!"

Viki gasped at the sight of the new zord, 'It's just as big as the Megazord…'

"Hold on! That's yer zord?" Brad shook his head in disbelief, "S'bigger than mine!"

"At least it should have enough room to fit the four of us!" Zack let out a sigh of relief. The Ultimas were gone (for now at least), and they'll be able to at least get home before midnight. Now there was only one more thing to do. "Rangers, let's go home."

**Space Station: Omega, Outside Planet Syral**

"You had the rangers in your grasp and you ran!" Pride scolded as the three enforcers each held their head in pain. As if their brains were being squeezed by a vice.

"But General…" Lex tried to explain, "We-"

"I don't tolerate failure, Vicious." Pride decided to release his mental hold on the enforcers. They've may have failed him, but they wouldn't be of any use to him dead. "As much from any of you. You three are of the best in the Syrallian Army. For you to be defeated by three amateurs is most insulting."

"Uh-uh boss." Tony informed, "There weren't three of them, but four."

Anna scoffed, 'Might as well have been three of them…'

"So there's another…" Pride closed his eyes, intrigued. "Interesting…"

"Pathetic…" A new voice said, with a hint of a British accent, as the three enforcers turned around. "I've expected you blokes to succeed with a job even wankers such as yourselves were capable of doing, but you can't even do that."

"And what about you?" Lex shot back, "Are you saying that you can do better?"

"I know that I can't do worse than you. And especially in your case, that's not exactly the hardest of feats."

"So you're saying that you can succeed where Vicious, Glute, and Faye failed?" Pride asked.

"It's not even a question when you have a strategy and know the strengths and weaknesses of your enemies."

"'It's not even a question when you have a strategy and know the strengths and weaknesses of your enemies.'" Lex silently mocked.

"By the way Anna, you wouldn't happen to know the identity of the poor bloke who's the new ranger, would you?"

A small smirk was on the blonde's face, "I believe you know him better than anyone here."

A dark smile formed across his lips, now knowing _exactly_ who he was. "Perfect… Just perfect…"

**CCU: Outside Blue Wolf Dorm**

"So you're from Vanicoor II." There was a hint of sadness in Viki's voice as the four walked towards the door. "I'm sorry…"

"It's alright. Although it's tough, but the resistance we have there is getting by and still standing strong." Mike explained. He'd rather not talk about it much, as all it would do was just bring back bad memories. It wasn't as if he wanted to forget, he'll always be thinking about his planetmen struggling against the tyranny of the Syrallian Army. But first, he had to get himself into order. Then, and only then he'd be able to be a significant help.

"We'll help them." Zack assured, "Once we're strong enough to defeat the Syrallian Army, we'll help Vanicoor II, and the other planets in the Syrallian Army." They were at the front door. "Anyway, you'll be able to sign up for classes and all at the registar's office in the morning. For now, you'll be staying with Brad for the night."

"Wait, hold on!" Brad protested, "Why's he stayin' with me?"

"Because for one, he's sure as hell ain't staying with Viki. And two, beside the fact that I don't feel like having a roommate, my room is so much of a mess that you'll end up getting seriously hurt."

Mike mused, "You're a slob I take it?"

"No, I have traps spread out everywhere in my room to the point that I might end up tripping one up by accident."

Brad snickered, "Tryin' to Viki-proof yer room, huh?"

She whispered to Mike, "I can avoid them easily. None of his traps can stop me."

"Why on earth do you have traps spread around anyway?" Mike asked Zack.

"So he can sleep in as much as he wants." Viki snickered, "He may not be a slob, but he is a complete slacker."

"Do you rather I sleep in class?" Zack responded before feeling vibration on his thigh. "The hell?" He reached into his pocket as he pulled out a cell phone. "Wes is calling me…"

"What he want at a time like this?" Brad asked.

"The hell that I know!" Zack answered, "Yo!"

_"Where the hell have you been?"_

Zack raised his brow in surprise, "Who are ya, my mom?"

_"Anyway, if you're going home, you better teleport there!"_

"Look man, I'm tired! Teleporting's the last thing I want to do…"

_"Trust me man, you're better off teleporting!"_

"Look, unless there's a robbery inside, I'm walking to my room and getting some sleep."

_"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."_

Viki saw Zack put away his cell, "What was that about?"

"Wes warning me not to walk in through the door …" Zack said uncaringly. "If the Ultima Enforcers were in the den, maybe… But I'm going to my room the old fashioned-"

"THERE YOU ARE!"

"Great…" Zack sighed, now realizing what Wes was trying to warn him about as he saw _her_. Talk about an "I told you so" moment…

"Uh-oh…" Viki placed a hand on Zack's shoulder, "See ya in the morning!"

"Mike, now'll be a good time show ya the room!" Brad suggested.

"From what I'm gathering, it would be wise to leave at once." Mike agreed as the three quickly scurried inside. Leaving Zack to face the wrath of his "spouse…"

"Let's get this crap over with…" Zack was too tired and too drained to run away let alone teleport. It was time to face the music.

"Where the hell have you been?" Videl asked, holding the "baby" in her arms.

"Well, I've-"

"Shut up! Because there is no excuse for you not being around when I needed you!" Zack could feel the sharpness of her glare as she continued, "You know what I did have plans tonight. I was supposed to be at a fashion show in Paris and getting a sneak peek of the latest fashions for the fall. I would've once again set the trend for the whole school. But no! You, as usual, prove to be the unreliable unavailable slacker that you always have and will be. And so, I had to tell everyone I couldn't make it and why? Because I had to babysit! I had to give up what I've been looking forward to for months, all because you were doing god-knows-what-"

'What a drag…' First Zack nearly got blown to bits. Then he had to fight for his life on an isolated island while teleporting to the point where he couldn't anymore. And now he had to deal with this! Videl was giving him the third degree for not watching the child, while it's not even his turn! He had the day, remember? And wasn't it _her_ who wanted to take care of the child during nights? Now that it backfired on her, she was blaming him! This night couldn't end fast enough. 'Might as well try to make it up to her to shut her up…'

"Are you even listening?"

Zack sighed, "Yes Videl, I'm listening! You're angry about missing your fashion show and you had to give that up for the baby! But y'know what?" He wanted to yell at her, to scream at her. To tell her that he had something more important to do! Like protecting this planet from the Syrallian Army! But he sure as hell wasn't going to tell this bitch that he was a ranger. Not that she'd believe him anyway. But he'd decided to just flatter her. "I'll make it up to you."

"Damn right you will!"

"Look, tomorrow morning, I'll take Se…Elizabeth for the whole day. And you can do whatever you want to do, okay?"

"No, you're doing this for two days straight!" She corrected. He should be dealing with the baby for a whole week for what he did to her tonight, but she's being generous.

"Like hell I am! Look, I'm tired and I want to get some sleep, okay? I'm not having this argument with you. God knows I'm too tired for this crap! I'm going to bed, see ya in the morning."

"Oh no you don't…" Videl went to follow Zack. No way in hell this deadbeat was walking away from her. Not like this!

As Zack opened the door, Videl followed him. "Oh for the-I said I'll take the child tomorrow." He was trying to keep his voice down. For one, screaming with the baby around would not be good for his grade and he wasn't going to let her screw that up for him (She'd probably blame him anyway, adding more to his stress).

"I'm just here to pick up the shoes I left here earlier!" She said as she picked up her white stilettos. "Do you really think I'd wear these boots with this dress?"

"But I thought black was stylish with everything!" Zack mocked.

Videl was about to once again throw her shoe, but thought better of it. "He's not even worth it…" She decided to go home. She got what she came for and said what she had to say. At least Zack would at least try to do his end of the assignment. And she emphasized "try." This night has already been stressful. A pedicure would definitely be needed. From hearing the loud crashing sound in the other room, at least she can smile knowing that Zack had crashed into something in his room. Hopefully he's managed to injure himself. It'd be the least of what he deserves…

"What a drag…"

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ Mike, who focuses on strategy even more than Zack, begins to clash with Brad's "might makes right" philosophy. Because of their abilities, Ezekiel sends them on a search for a power source to aid them against the enforcers. Will they manage to work together or will they end up destroying each other? Also, Zack and Viki go on a stakeout following reports of Syrallian Sympathizers secretly plotting against Earth.

**Chapter 8:** Brains vs Brawn! Turtle Kong Formation!


	8. Brains vs Brawn! Turtle Kong Formation!

**Chapter 8:** Brains vs Brawn! Turtle Kong Formation!

"So what do we have on this guy?" Zack asked as the four rangers looked on the monitors of HQ to see what appeared to be a giant metallic humanoid beetle.

"Not sure. Most likely another one of Pride's bio-beasts," Ezekiel commented.

Viki blinked, "Bio-beasts?"

"Mutated beasts with human and elemental characteristics," Mike explained. "Pride managed to obtain the technology to be able to create such a monstrosity."

"That boy right there must've been eatin' his vitamins." Brad commented on the monster's size.

Ezekiel continued to explain, "It can vary to being a giant or having the ability to become just as large." He looked on, "And right now he's headed towards the city."

"We'll stop him," Zack declared.

"Go on rangers, and be careful!"

"Alright Ezekiel," Zack raised his morpher. "READY!"

"READY!"

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

Once the rangers were morphed, they proceeded to slide down their designated chutes to take their respected tunneled paths of lava, plants, clouds, and water to their Zords.

"Key card, activate!"

From their hiding places, the Drago, Primal, Falco, and Tortoisezords began their advancement towards the offending bio-beast.

Zack saw their target, "Alright guys, let's do this!"

"We should devise a strategy!" Mike suggested. "Otherwise we may get in over our heads."

"Ah got one!" Brad cracked his knuckles, "We smash 'em."

"What are you, mad? Recklessness will only result you falling into a critical situation."

"S'better than sittin' 'round like some sittin' duck!" Brad scoffed, "We ain't got all day! Let's form the Megazord an'-"

"This isn't some game where you'll get extra chances!" Mike argued, "One false move and it could be the end of you."

"Guys, we can compare philosophies later!" Viki reminded, "We do have a monster to take care of!"

"Viki's right! The enemy's that bio-beast. Not each other." Zack added.

"I suppose we'll be more effective if we actually work together than arguing!" Mike concluded.

The beetle-like beast noticed the zords coming as it let out a shriek of rage. Its giant pincers snapped, ready to fight.

"Alright guys, let's see how he handles a few missiles!" Zack pulled the trigger to his piloting stick, "FLARE MISSILES!" From the mouth of the mecha dragon, fire-tipped missiles began to fire towards the beetle…

Brad followed suit, "Launchin' missiles…"

"FEATHER ROCKETS!"

"SHRAPNEL SHOT!" From the Tortoisezord, the spikes from the shell began to launch, heading along with the other missiles toward the creature. Upon impact, a large explosion was made. However, when the dust cleared, the bio-beast only had little to no scratch on it. Its response: Firing a bright green beam of light onto the zords…

"Oh come on!"

"Dang!"

"Why…"

"Apparently our missiles are not enough," Mike concluded as the zords recovered from the damage.

"Ah'll knock 'em down…" Brad declared as the Primalzord rushed towards the beetle.

"Brad, what are you doing?" Zack asked, having a feeling where it was going and it wasn't necessarily a good thing…

"What Ah should've done!" Brad squeezed the controls, "MAGNITUDE POUND!"

"Brad, wait!" Mike called, but it was too late as the fists of the ape-like zord had already hit the ground! The ground quaking, the beetle-like bio-beast was knocked to the ground, but the Tortoisezord also was tipped over. "What is your bloody problem?"

"Ah don't know why yer complainin'! Ah knocked it down, didn't I?"

"Your complete disregard for your teammates is really telling."

"Don't blame me if ya get ruffed up! If you wouldn't have just stood there in yer shell-"

"Right now you're proving yourself to be a mindless brute. Your failure to comprehend this situation is evident enough."

Zack cut in, "Brad, Mike, stop it! Kill each other after we kill this beast!"

"Umm… Zack," Viki asked unsurely, "We're all on the same team, right?"

"Our current formation's pointless…" Zack sighed, "Let's form the Megazord."

"Ah thought ya never asked." Brad responded, excited.

"We've might as well," Mike stated.

"Are you sure about this?" Viki asked, given the fact that the Blue and Green rangers weren't on the same page.

"It's better than what we have." Zack stated. Of course with another zord, they won't be able to form the Seraph Megazord. A new Megazord would have to be formed. "This'll require everyone to work together. And let's be quicker this time." The last time, they all got blasted to a deserted island. Zack wasn't taking any chances of that happening again. "Alright guys, initiate Armor-Wing Megazord Formation."

"_Initiating Armor-Wing Megazord Formation Sequence…"_

"Try to actually stay with the team this time." Mike suggested.

Brad scoffed, "Ah was! It was you that got yer shell smashed!"

"Thanks to your recklessness I might add."

"If you weren't so much of a pacifistic wuss-"

"If you weren't so much of a tactless roughneck-"

"ENOUGH!" Zack snapped, seeing the Primal and Tortoise zords stopped their formation sequence while the Drago and Falco zords were completing theirs. "Are we a team or what?"

Viki added, "Yeah, knock it off already!"

"Stay out of this!" Both boys snapped at the two!

Zack shook his head, "To hell with this… Viki, forget Armor-Wing. Let's go with Twin-Wing Dragozord."

"What?" Viki knew about Twin-Wing Dragozord. A combination of Zack's Dragozord and Viki's Falcozord! "But what about Brad and Mike?"

"They're obviously too busy with going at each other throats that just waiting for them to go with Armor-Wing is just an invitation to get blasted. Initiate Twin-Wing Dragozord Formation."

"_Initiating Twin-Wing Dragozord Formation Sequence…"_

The Drago and Falco zords reverted from their previous formations as the Falcozord soon connected to the back of the Dragozord.

"_Twin-Wing Dragozord Formation Sequence Complete!"_

Taking a break from his bickering, Brad noticed the new formation of the zords, "Well Ah'll be…"

"Not bad…" Mike commented. Zack instantly deciding to abort the Armor-Wing formation in favor for the more convenient Twin-Wing formation, not bad at all…

"Alright, let's finish this!" Zack cracked his knuckles, aiming for the beetle bio-beast.

"Yeah, bull's-eye," Viki cheered!

"FEATHER FLARE!" As the Falcozord's wings began to bend forward, the feather rockets began to fire forward mixing with the twisting fire breath of the Dragozord. Ignited, they flew towards the beast at high speed. As more and more of the ignited feather landed onto the beast, it wasn't long before the bio-beast was finally knocked and eventually exploded.

Viki cheered, "And that's that!"

Zack sighed, "That was cutting it close."

"Now that was some good shootin'!" Brad noted.

"Looks like there's one less bio-beast to worry about," Mike stated.

"Yeah… No thanks to you!"

"It's not as if you made a deciding contribution yourself. Besides endangering the team, of course…"

"Hey, this team was doin' fine before you showed up!"

"If I recall, the lot of you were on the brink of death before-"

"ENOUGH!" Zack snapped once again to the two. "Let's just head back before another fight breaks out!" This was getting out of hand. If Brad and Mike kept fighting, forget this team getting stronger, they would end up doing Pride and the Ultima Enforcers a favor by killing each other.

**Space Station: Omega, Outside Planet Syral**

"So tell me about this great almighty plan that you have, Kenny!" Anna playfully taunted as she filed her nails, her booted feet up on the control consoles.

He smirked in response, "It's quite simple. Any buffoon knows that in order to make a successful attack, you must cut-off the enemy's resources."

"…And in this case?"

"Why the ranger's own morphing grid. Of course theirs is similar to ours, but much weaker. However, all we have to do is cut-off the grid and the rangers would be all but defenseless."

Lex mockingly claps at his "friend's" theory. "That's all fine and dandy Smart Guy! But there's a problem. How the hell are we able to even make one on Earth, where the rangers and Earth's Special Forces are out on watch against us, especially since we've already attacked days ago?"

"Lex, you're always so tense. You need to relax and reevaluate the grand picture. We already have a few contacts that could be of use to us as we speak."

"Oh really? How so?"

Kenny's blue eyes narrowed as a smirk formed across his lips, "Let's just say that I'm not the only one who knows where the winning side is, if it's simple enough for you?"

**CCU Student Union:**

"Another day at school! Another day in hell!" Zack declared as he Brad and Viki walked through the doors to get that quick bite to eat before class.

"It can't be as worse as we almost went through," Viki reminded.

"Well you don't have Lucifer's little girl as a partner, so…yeah."

"But seriously, I didn't think that Twin-Wing would've been enough." Viki sighed. Either it was too easy or there was an ulterior reason for its appearance.

"We would've been able to go with Armor-Wing if _certain_ rangers got over themselves!" Brad finally spoke.

Zack raised a brow, "Did something happen between you and Mike last night?"

"Yeah, you guys seemed to be fine yesterday!" Viki added, worried about state of the team after this morning.

"Ain't no problem at all!" Brad stated, "Ah'll stay out of his way as long as Pretty Boy stays outta mine!" Within sight of a crowd of girls, his curiosity was intrigued. "What now?"

"Ignore it…" Zack stated, not really in the mood to deal with what was the latest 'flavor of the week.' What could it be this time, new trendy slippers? Or was it some new way of wearing sashes? Whatever it was, he had better things to do than worry about such wastes of time.

"But I wanna see!" Viki rushed over into the feminine crowd before stopping. "Oh…"

"What?" Zack decided it was best for them to see, otherwise their curiosity would continue to bug him, as much as he could care less about it. "Hmm…"

Brad crossed his arms, "He seems to be fittin' in!"

"Ladies, ladies, ladies…" Mike said to the girls in order to give himself some space. "I'm sure I could find the café on my own. No need to trouble yourselves."

"Oh but you could get lost! There are some freaks and weirdoes you need to watch out for." One of the girls, a green-eyed brunette explained.

A redhead added, "Yeah, we do have some guys who like to pick fights with others. And there are those who'd even fight each other." She took a glance at Zack and Brad, "Sometimes for no reason at all…"

Mike noticed the glance at his fellow rangers. "I see…" And Zack was getting angry with him and Brad fighting? He'd have to find out more about it. Perhaps he'll ask Viki. She should have a clue or two.

"You girls are so stupid! You'll jump on any guy that shows up!"

Mike raised a brow as he saw a blonde girl with green eyes walk towards the crowd. Most noticeably, she was carrying what appeared to be a replica of a baby. From the annoyed expression on her face, she won't be joining the welcome party. Still, it was nice to be polite. "Hello there, nice to-"

"Oh save it! Don't think I don't know anything about you Vanicoorians." She narrowed her eyes, "All your type do is prey on women just for one thing! And even if you don't get that, I'm sure you have other ways to get what you want, don't you?"

"Excuse me?" Outrage was in Mike's tone of voice, "What are you trying to declare?"

"I'm declaring that you're nothing but a predator! A sexual deviant who chases after every skirt he sees!"

Zack narrowed his eyes, "Are there any currently-active volcanoes near California?"

Viki advised, "Don't start Zack!"

"I'm trying god knows I'm trying…" Zack responded, "Prejudiced bitch…"

"I suggest that you take your leave!" Mike said, eyes narrowed at the blonde.

Videl scoffed, "Whatever. Just remember, all of these girls may be dumb enough to be attracted to you, but I know better! Unlike them, I actually have standards and won't fall for a pretty smile."

The redhead scoffed, "You're just jealous because you didn't find him first!"

"Puh-lease! Like I'd want to find someone as slimy as him! I already have enough problems." Videl noticed the expression her, ugh, "husband" was giving her. Speaking of problems…

'You're a ranger, Tyler. You're a ranger, Tyler…'Zack reminded himself, teeth gritting. He wasn't just a ranger, he was the red ranger. He had to set an example! He couldn't do anything that was unbecoming of a ranger, such as throwing someone into an active volcano, no matter how much that person may deserve it! That was unbecoming of a ranger, no matter how much that person may deserve it… He saw her walking towards him, "Prejudiced as usual, I see…"

"What's wrong? Am I ruining your lecherous friend's fun?" She scoffed, "Why I am not surprised that he's a part of your band of losers-for-life? I mean let's look at you! You're a complete slacker who never contributes to this school and, by some ridiculous stroke of luck, somehow keeps a decent GPA! Then look who you hang with! The bumpkin who's a total rock head, both figuratively and literally, and some airheaded wanna-be actress who'll never, and I mean, _never_ even be featured in a commercial, much less a movie! And now you have a lecher to join your little group!"

"About that volcano…" Brad spoke aside from Zack, eyes narrowing at the "rock head" comment.

"Just give me the kid, Videl!" Zack simply said. Even without the assignment being affected by his anger, he wasn't going to give this stain on humanity the satisfaction of him snapping. No matter how much she pushed him. This was all just to test his patience, he figured.

"Nice to see you actually working for once, Slacker!" Videl placed Elizabeth into his arms. "Now I'm going to leave before you bring me down to your level, and that must be quite a drop in your case!"

Zack watched her leave, '_This_ is why divorce rates continue to increase…'

Mike approached them, "It looks like your wife is quite the opinionated one, isn't she?"

Zack rolled his eyes, "I'm never getting married…" How much longer was this hellish assignment for again?

"At least it'll be over in a couple more weeks," Viki chirped. "Not everyone can be as lucky as I am!"

"Viki I'm about to throw _you_ into a volcano if you don't shut up!"

"Don't take your unfortunate situation out on me!" Viki patted his shoulder, "It'll be okay."

"One would think that by working together you two could gain a newfound respect and understanding with each other," Mike admitted.

"Y'all know that kinda stuff never works. If anything, there's a better chance a brawl'll occur," Brad stated.

"Coming from a warmonger such as yourself, your response is as expected."

"Better bein' a warmonger than a pussified pacifist!"

"Because it takes too much thinking for you to have the common sense to back down? That sounds logical enough."

"Not this again…" Viki sighed. Brad and Mike were arguing again. If this wasn't going to work out, never mind the whole team, the whole universe was doomed.

**Gotham Electronica, New York City**

"_How far along have you gone on the plans that I've sent you?"_

"We've just begun its development." A young man dressed in a white business suit informed. "As soon as the prototype is finished, we'll test it. If everything goes well, we should have four produced by the end of next Tuesday.

"_Splendid. Remember that the placement of these devices is just as important as the production. One flawed aspect is all that is needed for the downfall of a plan."_

"I'll keep that in mind!"

"_If this goes well, I'll have your payment as promised Arthur. As well as a place within our government."_

Arthur nodded, "Yes, thank you sir. I won't let you down. As soon as development finishes, the rangers will have no way to access the morphing grid."

"_Don't let me down. The whole result of this plan lies on your shoulders, as well as your fate."_

As the monitor shuts off, Arthur sighed. Making these devices would take a lot of time, but he knew that it would be worth it. He was confident that as long as he kept in the good graces of Ken and the Syrallian Army, he knew that he'll be entitled to a great deal of money. Perhaps even a high political position. Then he can possibly eliminate Pride and gain control of the army himself…

**CCU University Student Union**

"Okay sweetie," Zack said in a soft voice. "Daddy and uncle Brad are gonna spar for a while. Just watch and see how daddy fights to protect you and your…ugh… mother."

"Ya sure are takin' this 'ole father deal to heart, are ya?" Brad commented through a few arm stretches.

"If I'm going to get a good grade, I have to take it seriously." Zack balanced on one leg while flashing a few kicks, ready to put on a show for Elizabeth. It was his day with the baby and what better way than to treat her with a fight show.

"Y'gotta win some points for effort, Ah s'pose." Brad got into a fighting stance.

Zack followed suit, "Okay Brad, start talking."

"Talk? What'cha mean?"

Zack decided to be the first one to strike with a punch, "Between you and Mike!"

Brad parried it away, following with his own punch, "Ah told ya, there ain't nuthin' to discuss!"

"Like hell there isn't!" Zack countered with a dodged spin kick then another before his leg was shoved back towards him. "It's affecting the team!" Otherwise, they would've formed Armor-Wing Megazord right there and stopped that bio-beast faster.

…

"So, Prince Gerald remembers who he is and hurries off to the wedding before Princess Molly is married to Bishop Oliver. He only makes it there just before Molly says 'I do.' She jumps in Gerald's arms and they kiss! They're soon married, Molly is pregnant, and they live on in the Sanx Kingdom happily ever after!" Viki sighed, "How romantic."

"'The Forgotten Prince' seems to be another one of those 'True love conquers all' themes apparently." Mike took a sip out of his cappuccino after Viki finished the story synopsis. "Let me guess, you long for the part of Princess Molly?"

"I'm not saying that I'm going for the part, but it would be nice to be a princess!" Viki explained, "I don't know what is it about being one, it's like it's so… fulfilling!"

"Fulfilling, eh? I'd suggest that you expand your horizons a bit to avoid being type-casted."

"Oh I already know the dangerous of it. The last role I went for was for a character that was smart and studious. The role before was a woman who was shy and meek. I'm trying to experience all characters so I'll not only have a better idea of being a better actress, but to understand the different types of characters as well. It helps to know how one character is supposed to act towards another."

"At least there are some people who actually plan things…"

Viki noticed the bitterness in Mike's voice, "Penny for your thoughts?"

"It's nothing," Mike assured.

"This 'nothing' wouldn't have anything to do with a certain green ranger, would it?"

"I believe that there is nothing more that needs to be discuss, am I correct?"

"Sorry Mikey, that won't work! So spill already! What's with you two? Did something happen last night?"

"The only thing that happened is that Brad clearly showed himself to be a tactless, war-mongering twit!"

…

"Oh come on! Mike can't be that bad!"

Brad countered Zack's punch by grabbing onto his arm before tossing him overhead. "That pussy wouldn't even take up arms if his life depended on it!"

Zack narrowly managed to roll back to his feet before Brad's fist connected to his face, "What's wrong with not liking to fight?"

"Hey, if he ain't into combat, that's him! But when it comes to protectin' yer loved ones an' home, if y'not man 'nuff to fight, you shouldn't be here!"

"Sounds a bit harsh, don't ya think?"

"Harsh, but true! The world's harsh and there ain't no room for pussies!"

…

"If the whole galaxy thought like Brad, every planet would be in ruins from the countless fighting!"

"I know Brad can be a bit rash and perhaps too willing to fight…" Viki sighed, "Maybe too willing, but I don't think that Brad's someone who'd fight just-" She remembered his and Zack's favored "hobby," "Okay, so he does like fighting, but not if it's going to cause destruction."

"If you'd see Vanicoor II for yourself, I believe you'd understand how I feel about recklessness." Mike managed to finish his drink. "That's enough talk about that matter for a while…"

"Mikey…" Viki wondered just how bad Vanicoor II was. But from the pained expression on his face when he hears a single mention about the planet, she wasn't sure if she even _wanted_ to know.

…

"Please try to work with him, 'kay?" Zack's tone had a hint of pleading, as with his foot he managed to parry's another one of Brad's punches.

"That boy should've gotten the 'yellah morpher."

Brad's response made Zack's punches and kicks intensify. "Damn it Brad! We're all on the same team here!"

"I dunno 'bout you an' Viki, but Ah'm sure as hell ain't gettin' mahself killed for sum pansy that won't even fight! Zack, you an' Ah know better than anyone that 90 percent of the time, brute force is the best way to get things solved!"

"Yeah, there are some people who deserve the ever-loving snot knocked out of them, but do you really want everyone in the world hating us because we fight all the time?"

"People already hate us now because of us fighting!"

"No, they just think we're psychos and obviously never heard of sparring! But the point is, try to see things from his point of view."

"Hmph…" Brad couldn't understand why Zack was even trying to defend him. The answer was clear: If everything went Pretty Boy's way, Syral would've already conquered the whole galaxy by now. His thoughts were interrupted by the ring of his communicator.

Zack heard the sound as well, "Try to be at least civil with him!"

"Ah ain't makin' promises…." If Brad even _thought_ the wrong thing, Pretty-boy's face won't be so pretty anymore after he was done with him.

…

"Let's go find Zack and the others." Viki suggested as Mike let out a sigh.

"Hopefully some of us will think before opening our mouths…"

**Sigma HQ**

"So what Monster of the Day we'll have the pleasure of fighting?" Zack asked as Ezekiel pulled out a map.

"You won't be fighting anything today," He explained. "Instead you will be on a mission."

"What kind of mission will it be?" Mike asked.

"A mission that, if we are successful, may be able to provide what we need to counter Pride's Zeo Crystal. It's located on Mt. Fuji. Rumor has it there lies an ancient power source that if used correctly may grant its user untold power. What you'll be looking for is the Luminous Claw."

Viki let out a smile, "Oooh, we're heading to Japan!"

"Correction: Brad and Mike will be taking part in this mission! I have another task for you and Zack. There have been reports of shipments and transactions being made from Earth, specifically Gotham Electronics!"

"Great…" The two boys in question muttered, not happy with Ezekiel's decision.

Zack scratched his head, "Isn't that normal of people to do so?"

Viki added, "What's so odd about people mailing items to other planets?"

"These transactions appear to come from Pride himself," Ezekiel explained, "Knowing what he's capable of let alone how far he'll go to get what he wants, I feel that this could be another one of his plans. Also, while the Intergalactic Federation has tried to keep knowledge of Pride and the Syrallian Army's actions out from the public of Earth, Lorecora and Rhynia, there have been some reports of those who sympathize with Syral, even to the point of working as spies. There is an outpost that isn't too far from Gotham Electronica, the likely location of the Syrallian supporters."

Zack raised a brow, "Umm… Ezekiel?"

"Something wrong, Zack?"

He motioned him closer, "No disrespect or anything, but are you sure that you want Brad and Mike to work together?"

"Both of their genetic powers allow them to withstand that harsh environment of Fuji."

"True, but in case you haven't noticed, they're not exactly… BFFs." Zack pointed to the two in question, who continued to trade glares at each other.

"That will be an obstacle for them both to overcome. But I believe in them both."

"But are you sure that they won't end up killing each other first?"

"It's often for one to work with someone they do not like." Ezekiel explains, not even affected by the differences between the blue and green rangers. "By working together their bonds will form and later strengthen. They'll be okay."

"Are you sure you're willing to take that risk?" These times was just a prelude to what could be the fight for their lives, and having two rangers who were more than ready to kill each other as partners didn't seem to be the best of ideas.

"In time Zack, you'll learn that by working with your enemies, you can learn more about them. Perhaps find a kindred spirit. Such as your current situation…"

As he saw Ezekiel moving over to brief Brad and Mike, Zack pondered on his words. What did he mean by his "current situation?" Was he talking about him and Videl? He didn't know what was the old man was talking about. It's already been a few days and already he was ready to commit justifiable homicide.

**Mt Fuji, Japan**

"Well this is it!" Brad sighed as he observed his surroundings. Fuji was known as one of biggest mountains on Earth at an earlier time. Despite the damage it took during the intergalactic war, it was still huge. Unfortunately, due to photons and other chemical warfare used as ammunition, there are mutated creatures that have made a nest here.

"Let's be careful shall we?" Mike bluntly stated, realizing that he may have to do the thinking for two people. Lord knows _he_ wouldn't.

"Let's do this right!" Brad opened the map. "Okay, the Luminous Claw shouldn't be far 'round here. Let's just move in an' get the thing so we can all head home!"

"Didn't you hear Ezekiel's warning before we left?" Mike reminded, "We're supposed to be careful. There's no telling what we might come across, let alone what may happen."

"Ah'll worry 'bout it when it happens! Right now, our main goal's that Luminous Claw! And diddy-daddlin' here ain't gon' get us anywhere!"

"I know full-well what's at stake. But at the same time, unlike _some_ rangers I know, I'm not going to rush in like a chicken without its head!" Mike countered.

"You think Syral's gonna let us stand around and wait for the opportune time when they could just take us out now? Well Ah don't and Ah sure as hell won't just stand by and let 'em take Earth!"

"Brad wait!" Mike called out, but the green ranger had already advanced onward. He sighed, "Why do I even bother…" Look like he'd _really_ have to think for two people… As he followed, he wondered just what kind of mess would Brad bring the both of them in. He doesn't know strategy and he sure as hell didn't look before he leaped. Hopefully his recklessness wouldn't cost them dearly…

**Stakeout Building, Near Gotham Electronica**

"I thought it'd bigger than this!" Viki commented as she walked into the room. There wasn't much there available, just a small TV screen, a slightly-larger refrigerator, a small table, and a couch. Just the basic stuff needed to spend the night, but not live here necessarily.

"What'd you expect, the freakin' Marriot?" Zack commented, in each arm carrying a "baby." "We're here to see what the sympathizers are up to, and what Syral is planning."

"True, but remember. It was your idea to bring the kids here!" Viki giggled at the site of the red ranger. "Ohhh you look so adorable, Dad!"

Zack rolled his eyes as he gently placed both babies on the couch upright. He thought that he and Viki could get some hours in watching Elizabeth and Allie while doing their stakeout. If everything went well, they wouldn't find themselves in any trouble. He walked towards a window as he took out a pair of binoculars, "Well… Looks like nothing's happening now, so I guess we could relax."

"Whoo hoo!" Viki nearly jumped back onto the couch as she grabbed the remote. "Now we can watch some high-quality TV."

Zack watch the screen turn on and saw the channel she selected, much to his annoyance. "You got to be kidding me…"

Viki casually shrugged, "What?"

"You've picked 'The Brave and the Magnificent?'" Zack rolled his eyes, out of all the shows she could've, would've, and should've picked, she just _had_ to go with a sappy soap opera.

"It's a good show! Who doesn't love a good romance story?" Viki explained, "You see, Yasmine is in love with Geraldo, but Francine, her sister who is also in love with him, is trying to split those two apart! Then there's Tamera, who is – get this – in love with Francine, but is afraid to express her feelings, fearing that their friendship would be ruined or even worse. And then there's-"

"Nah uh…" Zack snatched the remote from Viki's hand…

"Hey!"

"We ain't watching that!" In a matter of button presses, Zack changed the channel. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"What the-What is this?" Viki winced at what she was seeing!

"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad! It- OH, is he hittin' it hard!"

"You actually like this!"

"Oh c'mon! It's not that bad! "Superfight 1K43" is the long awaited battle between Max 'The Razor' Brumell and 'The Heat' Hugh Norris! This is the ass-kicking of the century! Besides, you ca-HEY!"

Viki pressed the channel-return button, "That's better!"

Zack snatched the remote back, "Like hell it is!"

"No fair, Zack! I had it first!"

"I'm Red Ranger, so I'm-"

"Not today!"

"I'm not watching some sappy soap-opera!"

"Well I'm not watching some glorified blood sport!"

"'Superfight' is more than just a series of brawls to the death!" Zack explained, "If you don't understand that, then you need to watch so you _can_ understand!"

"Well 'The Brave and the Magnificent' isn't some 'sappy soap-opera.' Only insensitive jerks wouldn't understand its greatness!" She snatched it back before placing it between her legs. "You try anything and I'll scream and declare rape!"

"You can't be serious…" Zack plopped down on the couch as he turned to the "babies," Allie in particular, "Your mom is evil…" Now he would have to suffer though the hell of watching some clichéd love-story for the billionth time only for it to go south for the billionth time.

**Mt Fuji**

An hour has passed as Brad and Mike continued their climb onto what was left of the once-mighty mountain. Fortunately, aside from the jagged obstacles presented by the terrain itself, there was no sign of the photon-infected beasts that roamed there, save for a few teal-colored cubs. If there was trouble that came by, Brad's rock form and Mike's barriers would be enough to evade contamination. Morphing would only be as a last-resort.

"Shouldn't we rest for now?" Mike suggested. Now was the time to review where they are, the situation at hand, and how far were they from the Luminous Claw.

"We ain't got all day," Brad responded! They managed to get this far, and this boy was ready to stop? No way that was happening! Not now…

"Better late than never, one would say," Mike countered. "Besides, at least we'll be able to reevaluate our progress!"

Brad halted as he looked over the map. Judging from where they started, they've managed to pass a few landmarks despite the landscape changes such as a few rocks in a specified formation. If the map was as accurate as it has been thus far, it wouldn't be long until the Luminous Claw would be in their possession. "It ain't too far from here!"

Mike nodded, "If only it were that simple…"

Brad raised a brow, "Oh c'mon, what could possibly get in our way?"

"You must always think of the worst-case scenario!"

"Right now, the only worst-case scenario Ah see is you bringing us down with yer pacifist ideals!"

"Better than being a warmongering mindless brute that doesn't care about the long-term effects, much less destruction war causes."

"Weren't you part of a resistance group back in Vanicoor?"

"We were a reactive group rather than a proactive one. At least on Vanicoor, we didn't rush into war and can see that battles only lead to destruction!"

"That's why Vanicoor got conquered by Syral! Ah'd lost mah loved ones too if Ah were a yellah-bellied coward who wouldn't take up arms!"

As his fists balled up, Mike had reached his breaking point. All Brad ever did was preached about violence, violence, and more violence! As if it was the only way to handle things, the only way of life! Now this mongering cretin had gone too far! With a glare full of rage, Mike went to do what perhaps he should've done to him the moment he opened his mouth…

Brad staggered back, the left side of his jaw now tender as he looked at his assailant. "Ya punched me…"

"And I'll punch you again if you ever talk ill of my family ever again!" Rage was present in the Vanicoorian's voice. He knew he was above all of this, that senseless violence was only suited for the lower class. But now this fool was asking for it.

"_Good_!" Brad snapped back. "Maybe if y'all would've shown an ounce of that instead of being chicken shits y'all wouldn't be havin' this problem!" Another punch landed on his face, "S'that all ya got? No wonder Syral conquered yer planet!" Then another, "Still a pussy Ah see!"

As he landed one more punch, Mike continued to glare at him. He truly wanted to know if Brad was happy now. All the time that could've been used to assess the situation, to find the best way of obtaining the Luminous Claw, but no. He had to push him! Well if this warmonger wanted a fight, then so be it!

Brad decided that was enough as he countered Mike's punch before delivering a hard one of his own, knocking his assailant on his back. "Ya see that? _That's_ how a real man fights for what he loves! Not by hiding behind sum strategy! And not sure as hell with sum pacifist bullshit! A real man gets his hands dirty and gets in the battle, no matter what the risks, no matter how much blood he gets on his hands! If ya can't do that, how the hell are y'all ever gonna protect anyone?"

Mike rose to his feet, rubbing the side of his face where Brad's fist connected. He started to feel remorse, almost ashamed. He allowed Brad to get under his skin, and made him fight like an uncivilized bloke! He was supposed to be his teammate in the fight against the real enemy, but he just spent the last few minutes pounding on him. "I'm sorry…"

"Oh good gawd, why are ya apologizin'?" Brad rolled his eyes, "You've actually showed that you weren't gonna take anyone's shit, that you weren't a pussy, and now you takin' it back!"

"Look Brad, I shouldn't have lost control of my emotions! We're supposed to be on the same team! Forgive me…"

"An' Ah shouldn't have made those comments! Ah was in the wrong! You were just defendin' yer family an' yer country!"

Mike sighed, "I just don't want to see any more bloodshed! I don't want to see what happened to Vanicoor happen to Earth, or any other planet in the galaxy."

"Look Mike, Ah understand you don't want every planet in the world to end up like yers, but ya gotta realize that sumtimes the only message people understand is the one with brute force! And trying to go with the pacifist route ain't gonna help anyone in the long run! An' what are ya gonna do when the time comes to morph when the enforcers an' the Syrallian army come through? Are ya gonna sit there and be the ranger that does nuthin' or are ya gonna be a ranger that actually does sumthin'?"

"Perhaps you're right…" Mike truly wondered if violence was the only way to bring peace. When he decided to become a ranger, he thought that he would only fight to defend, not to attack. But he had to ask if Brad's method of brute force was just as or perhaps more efficient than he had thought. "Well now, we've already wasted enough time here. Let's go."

Brad nodded, hoping that he finally got through to him. Now all it was left was finding the Luminous Claw, then head on home…

**Stakeout Building**

"Looks like there's a party going on…" Zack watched on through the binoculars, "The boys showing up at Gotham doesn't seem to be dressed for work! Suspicious, I think so."

"So? It could be some party for all we know!" Viki's eyes haven't moved from the screen.

"If they were having a party, wouldn't they have picked somewhere better, like a hotel or someplace," Zack reminded. "Something's definitely going on down there."

After seeing the final scenes of "The Brave and the Magnificent," Viki let out a sigh, "Okay Zack, let's switch."

"Keep a watch on them. Note everything they're doing. What goes in, who goes in, what goes out, who goes out, everything! I want to know when they have to take a piss!"

Viki eyes went wide at the latter statement, "Ew! What's wrong with you?"

Zack rolled his eyes, "It's just a figure of speech!" He plopped onto the couch as with the remote he began flipping through channels. "Superfight" was long over so he had to find something else to watch during his hour while Viki was on lookout. Each hour, one would watch TV and watch the babies, while the other would focus on the activities at Gotham. If something happened, they were to take note. If it was very serious, they had to contact Ezekiel. Beyond that, they would have to take action.

"Doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, just talking…" Viki looked on, "Too bad we can't actually hear what they're saying, y'know?"

"Would make our jobs enough easier, that's for sure." Actions may've spoke louder than words, but there was so much actions could tell alone.

"Well, maybe something will turn up late-EYIEEE!" Viki quickly turned towards the screen at the sound, not believing what she's seeing. It was the worst thing Zack or anyone could ever do… "ZACK HOW COULD YOU!"

Zack looked at her dumbfounded, "What?"

Viki fiercely pointed to the screen, "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

He looked on, "What? It's just 'Queen of Hearts!' A quest of 20 guys trying to win the heart of some girl who thinks she's a queen, or at least should be treated like one. Most likely she'll find a guy who'll end up dumping her on the reunion show."

"I know about that! But it's a Reality TV Show!"

"Yeah, and your point is?"

Viki turned away, "You're mean! Cruel! Your mom would be ashamed!"

"What the hell do you mean?"

She crossed her arms, "I refuse to talk to traitors!"

Zack scoffed, "And I'm a traitor? For watching a reality show?" He rolled his eyes, "You can't be serious…"

"If you really cared about me, you wouldn't be ruining my dreams like this!" Reality TV shows weren't even worthy of being TV Trash as far as Viki was concerned. All they ever did was take up all the attention and air time, making unknowns into instant celebrities overnight while the real actors and actresses couldn't even get any pilots on the air due to the increase of reality TV. The number of them have increased so much that they already have their own channel. One would think all reality TV shows would then be confined to Real-TV, but now there were two channels: TV-ality and TV-ality II. To make things worse, three out of five shows that debut each season were from the reality TV genre. If this kept going, all acting performances would be regulated to Broadway… at least until _they_ take over that too! All Zack was doing by watching this… this abomination was encouraging more of it! And she didn't like him right now…

**Mt Fuji**

"There it is!" Mike pointed towards an object, placed on top of a pillar. Its shape was similar to a talon of an eagle. "This must be it, this must be the Claw."

"A'right, let's go get it!" Brad cracked his knuckles.

"Hold on Brad! Let's jus-"

Brad narrowed his eyes at his teammate, "Ah _know_ you ain't 'gon talk about sum strategy!"

"Just be careful, Brad. I know that there's not a soul around here, but I doubt that someone would leave something as valuable as this unguarded."

He stopped, "Now that'cha mentioned it, it's quiet. Too quiet…"

Mike noted. They've come thus far and were not ready for it all to be in vain. "Sometimes the enemy can come when you least expect it."

"Whatevs, Ah'm grabbin' the claw!" As Brad walked over to the pillar, Mike took the time to look around. It was odd that there was a formation of a secret passage inside of Fuji, but then again few even have knowledge about the place.

"Hm…" Mike looked up as he noticed the holes in the walls. He may not know about ancient tombs and relic sites, but there was a reason why there were holes there. Particularly near the spot Brad was standing. "Oh no…"

"Come to Papa!" The moment Brad's hands grabbed onto the relic, a rain of photon-energized arrows rapidly fired onto the trespasser, "YEOUCH!" As his skin instantly hardened by reflex, he found himself surrounded by a barrier blocking the rain of arrows…

Mike soon released the field as, in a show of fatigue, let out a deep sigh. "That was a close one…"

"…Ya saved me!" Brad wasn't sure if his rock-hard skin could've taken all those arrows. Maybe a few perhaps, but not all of them! Thank god for Mike being there.

"Now do you see what happens when you act prematurely?" It was now Mike's turn to lecture. He agreed at times that brute force and attacking may've been the best plan, but doing so recklessly without assessing the situation could cost one dearly.

He sighed, holding the Luminous Claw. "A'right, we got the claw! Let's head on home!"

"Hopefully this'll be enough to take on the Zeo Crystal. Lord knows that we'll need all the help we can acquire against that." Mike froze at the sound of a growl, "What the-?"

"Sam hell?" Brad noticed the sound, too! Could that be a result of them grabbing the claw? "Stand firm! We're 'bout to have company."

"Big company!" Mike turned to Brad, "Should we run?"

"Ah don't think we can!" Brad noted the growl's volume increasing from the direction they came. It was coming! It must've been waiting, ready to attack whoever dared to go after the claw! Within moments, the source of the growling revealed itself.

A bear-like beast appeared towering the both of them. Its reddish color showed that it has been infected with Photons. As it roared, large fangs could be seen inside of its mouth.

"Not exactly the ancient creature one would expect isn't it!" Mike noted, expecting a dragon, a tiger, or even a sphinx instead of this.

"Ancient or not, time to kick its ass!" Their genetic powers could protect them from small, contaminated creatures, but this one had to at least be 9ft tall at minimum. Therefore, there was only one option… "READY!"

"READY!"

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

"Let's blast this punk!" The now-morphed green ranger pulled out his Sigma Blaster as the blue ranger followed suit!

Mike nodded, "Ready…"

"Aim…"

"FIRE!" The two blasters fired on the beast. However, instead of knocking it back, all they succeeded in doing is increasing its size.

Brad couldn't believe it, "Hey, what gives?"

"It appears that the photons are the source of its rapid growth," Mike hypothesized as they placed away their blasters. The Sigma Blasters used photon energy as their ammunition and therefore would end up causing more harm than help in the long run.

Brad was ready to go for a Ground Quake in order to knock the creature down or at least stun him a bit, but remembering where he was, he realized that he may cause an avalanche or worse. "Nah, too risky!" He would have to go with something else, "Time for a new tactic…" As he turned to Mike, who couldn't help but felt a hint of satisfaction for his teammate, he wondered if he had any ideas.

'Looks like he's finally learning from his recklessness…' Mike knew it was best to restrain him before it got out of control, "HYDRO BUBBLE!" From his hands fired the bubble which slowly moved towards the now-rushing beast. Just as it was about to punch, it found itself caught inside of the encasing bubble. "That should keep him occupied for a while."

"Err…Ah ain't so sure, Mike!" Brad noted the beast's continuous growth in the bubble as within a matter of seconds, its growth broke the bubble. Freeing the beast! Now it was even bigger… "Don't tell me our attacks are photon-based, too!"

Mike was running out of ideas, "The air must be filled with photons… Even the smallest amount would be enough to affect a beast as infected as this one was!"

"A'right, we can't blast it! Our powers aren't much help, only one thing left to do."

"The only thing…"

"CARD 1, EXECUTE!" Within activation, the Savage Axe and Hydro Shield appeared in their hands as they rush over to take on the continuously-growing beast.

"AQUA STREAM!" The burst of water fired from the shield landed on the beast. Its attempt of shielding itself with its claw indicated that it was working. 'Must be affected by fire-based photons…'

"Down ya go!" From above Brad swung his axe as hard as he could, his skin hardening inside of his ranger suit, as he made a hard connection to the beast's head. However, all it did was cause it to slightly-flinch. "Aw c'mon!"

"This won't do at all!" Mike activated his communicator, "Ezekiel, we've found the Luminous Claw. But we've also found a creature that's been infected by photons, and is growing by the minute."

"_When a creature has been completely infected by photons, they become even more dangerous."_ Ezekiel explained, _"Their change varies both in power and size with no possible way to reverse the effects. Therefore, extermination is the only option!"_

"I understand! Breaking contact…" Mike turned to Brad, "It appears we'll have to destroy this thing!"

Brad noticed that the monster had grown over 30 stories tall, "Looks like it's Zord Time!"

"Let's stop it before it reaches the city!"

"_**6…**_

_**3…**_

_**2...**_

_**4…**_

_**2…**_

_**MECHA!"**_

Within activation, the Primal and Tortoisezords rose from their respective locations as they advanced towards their targeted destination…

Within an instant Brad entered his zord, "Primalzord ready to go!"

As did Mike, "Tortoisezord online!"

"Ya gotta game plan?"

"There's no other option. We have to destroy it!"

Brad cracked his knuckles, "A'right, now yer talkin' mah language!"

Mike sighed in response. Brad seemed to be eager, too eager to destroy it. At least he's thinking things through before he actually attacks…

"Ah'll 'rassle it down! Mike, you get a good shot!"

Mike nodded, "Try not to be too reckless!"

"Don' worry, Ah got this! Just be ready to fire when in position!"

Mike proceeded to make the preparations, readying the shrapnel shot to be fired the instant the time was right. Hopefully Brad would make it out of there safely when that time came…

"C'mon pal, let's see what'cha got!" The Primalzord rushed over before jumping onto the still growing beast, mounting on its back while wrapping its arms around the neck. "Ain't gonna get away from me! Not that easily!" The beast desperately tried to shake the green gorilla off of it, but the grip would not break. "Yee-haw!"

The crosshairs moved across the screen before they locked onto the beast's head. "Should be a direct hit," Mike hypothesized. He was ready to fire, but Brad was still in the way. "Brad, move now!"

"Not yet!" The beast was still moving and even with his windpipe being squeezed it would still not give in. "Time to get skin-deep!" As within an instant, the feet of the Primalzord slammed onto the beast's sides with sharp spikes appearing from the bottom of the toes, anchoring itself on top...

Mike saw the beast let out a roar of pain as he noticed Brad planting himself in, 'What the devil are you doing…'

"A'right, Mike! Let 'em fly!"

"But what about-"

"Forget 'bout me, just do it!"

"Very well then…" Mike pulled the trigger as the spikes flew off from the shell, flying over to their target! With the missiles near contact with their intended target, the toe spikes retracted as the Primalzord leaped out of the way of the inevitable explosion.

Mike looked onward as the smoke cleared, to find that the beast was down and seemingly out. However, the Primalzord was nowhere to be found. "Brad… Brad, answer me!" He looked around, still no sign of the green zord. "Answer me if you're alive!"

"Man you worry too much!" The Texan-native replied as the Primalzord moved back to the Tortoisezord. "Ah had a rough ride, but nuthin' serious! You worry too damn much!"

"By working with you, one can't help but worry!"

"Aw c'mon! We've stopped that beast, right?"

A small smile formed under his helmet! "Thankfully we've managed to prevent a potential disaster! Well done! Next time, try to at least think about the situation!"

"Ah did! Honestly Mike, if Ah hadn't made sure that beast didn't stay put, would all them salvos hit their target? Better safe than sorry!"

"You're the last person who should be talking about being safe…"

"Oh c'mon! You gotta admit it got the job done!" Brad blinked, "…Sam hell!"

"Impossible!" Mike watched on as the closed-eyes of the beast open, now glowing in an eerie-reddish color. Worst of all, it began to once again grow in size…

"It took a hit from the missiles directly in the face, an' it's still not 'nough?"

Within a loud roar, the beast fired a red orb of fire towards the two zords at blinding speed! Knocking them down hard upon impact!

The Primalzord picked itself up from the ground, "Damn, no matter what we do it just keeps comin'!"

The Turtoisezord managed to set itself back up from its shell, "I agree that as the situation grows, chance of survival continues to plummet."

"Sumtimes, all it need is a good 'ole punch to get the job done!" Brad pounds a fist into his palm, "Mike, Zack an' Viki have their own combo, now's our turn to show what we can do!"

"Are you suggesting a Megazord combination?"

"S'all we got left!"

"Well we don't have much of a choice… Meagzord formation sequence, engage!"

"_Initiating Turtle Kong Megazord Formation Sequence…"_

The Primalzord began its normal transformation for its regular megazord combination, while the Turtoisezord's head detached and its legs began to retract into its shell. Moments later, the front part of the shell detaches before splitting again to transform into a pair of legs and lower torso. The other half of the shell split as they attached onto the Primalzord's arms, forming a pair of spiked gloves in the process. The newly-formed lower body combined with the modified Primalzord, as the Turtoisezord's mouth opened, forming the head to finish the newly-form Megazord!

"_Turtle Kong Megazord Formation Sequence Complete!"_

As the new Megazord stood, the blue and green rangers' have gained a new resolve.

Brad pounded his fists, "A'right, time to see what Turtle Kong can do!"

The beast fired another blast again, however this time, with a mighty punch, Turtle Kong managed to deflect the blast back at the beast, causing it to be stunned.

"Now that's what Ah'm talkin' 'bout!" Brad exclaimed in satisfaction of the results! Able to deflect the blast back with a simple punch, not to mention having one hell of a right hook! This was his kind of Megazord!

Mike reminded, "Don't get carried away! We're not done yet!"

"Okay, if Ah can get one punch on its head, it'll be it!"

Mike was appalled at the suggestion, "A punch! Are you serious!" Now was not the time for barbaric thinking.

"Sumtimes, all it takes is one good blow to the head to finish this! Get in close an' Ah'll knock this sumbitch down for the count!"

"Alright, but let's hurry!" Mike noted, "It's beginning to recover…"

"You move, Ah'll punch!" Brad was amazed how big this beast could grow. Could photons really have an effect like that on a mere animal like a bear? And after all they dished out, it was still standing. Well it wouldn't be for long!

Now recovered, the beast once again prepared to fire a blast. However, from the way its mouth was glowing, the blast was going to be even more powerful.

"It's preparing to attack again!" Mike examined as the Megazord rushed forward, "This blast looks to be even more powerful! We better hurry!"

"Not on mah watch!" Brad declared as the Turtle Kong was only a few yards away from the target… in Megazord standards.

"It's about to fire!" Turtle Kong was almost there.

"The hell it is! Let's do it!"

"SPIKE MACH KNUCKLE!" The devastating blast was fired as the Megazord dodged with a leap in the air! At the peak of its jump Turtle Kong began to spin at high speed before throwing a hard punch that landed square in the temple of the beast. Upon impact, energy from the main reactor of the Megazord flowed into the fist, knocking the beast down hard before disintegrating.

"Whoooooo-whee!" Brad cheered, "Now this thing packs a punch!"

"Well that takes care of that." Mike sighed, "Thankfully we stopped it before it could reach the city."

"We fought, we won, and we got the Luminous Claw! Let's head home!"

As the two head back to HQ, Mike reviewed what had happened. Their blasters did more harm than help, and their powers barely did anything to help. Even with their Zords it still wasn't enough. At the end, all it took was a punch to destroy it. A powerful Megazord-sized punch mind you, but still a punch! Perhaps Brad's approach could be more effective than he thought and at times better than a strategy.

**Stakeout Building, Near Gotham Electronica**

"Whoa…" With the binoculars Zack zoomed in close. "Viki check this out!"

"…"

"Oh Viki, come on!"

"…"

'You can't be serious…' Zack placed down the binoculars, "Viki, get over here!"

Viki watched the TV, not even bothering to turn to him. "I told you, I'm not talking to you!"

"Will you just get over here and look at this?" Zack was losing patience, especially about this issue.

Sighing, Viki decided it was best to see what he wanted. Who knew, maybe he found something. She could go back to being mad at him later. "What did you find?"

Zack decided to ignore the coldness in her voice as he handed her the binoculars. "Look over there."

She looked on as she saw sparks flying off of what appeared to be a large satellite dish. "Wow… Those guys must be working overtime for this! Whatever they're making…" She turned towards Zack. "Any ideas?"

"Can't say," Zack theorized, "But whatever they're working on. It's going to be big."

…

**Wolf Blue Dorm, First Floor**

"Anything else on the beast we had to destroy?" Mike asked over his cell phone.

"_Aside from what you've told me, nothing,"_ Ezekiel responded. _"Meanwhile, I'm concerned over the device Zack and Viki mentioned over at Gotham."_

"What do you think they're planning?"

"_Not sure… Until we're able to obtain more information it's best to stay on your toes, especially while you're without your morphers. The Luminous Claw may be what we need for now, but with the Zeo Power in use, it'll only be a matter of time when a greater power will be needed."_

"So what he say?" Brad asked as Mike placed away his phone.

"Only that we all have to be careful." Mike explained, "Hopefully the morpher maintenance won't be long. The sooner we get our morphers back, the better."

"Ah'm more concerned 'bout what Zack an' Viki saw at Gotham."

"Indeed, what they saw being build is shady to say the least." Mike turned to Zack, who was lounging on the couch. "Anything else you all found?"

"Kinda looked like a satellite dish, but nothing else from where I was standing." He sighed, "Not liking the idea of not having our morphers knowing that the enforcers could strike at any moment without warning. But that just means we have to be careful."

"I reckon Viki still angry with ya?"

Zack waved off, "Nah, she's better Brad. She was all smiles at me this morning."

Mike smirked, "You're making it up to her I take it?"

"Yeah… She said that I owe her and that one day she'll come collect!"

"What'd you do to get her angry in the first place?"

"Something trivial…" Zack shook his head, "It's just ridiculous…"

"Oh Zack!"

The three boys turned around to see Viki, in her PJs, rushing towards the trio. Brad greeted, "Mornin' to ya, Viki!"

"Oh hi guys!" She smiled before turning to Zack, "We have to get ready!"

He raised a brow, "Ready? For what?"

"Today's the Tokyo Anime Expo! I was running a bit short on cash for the trip. But then I thought 'Hey, Zack could just teleport us there!'"

"Hey, I've been working on my powers. But I'm not so sure that I can-" Zack realized where this was going! "Ohh no…"

"Oh come on!"

"No way! I'm not-"

"Please?"

"Going to risk getting lost by teleporting just-"

"But you promised me, Zack! You said that you'll make it up to me!"

"Yeah, but not today!" Zack declared, "Brad and I got some plans, right?"

"No can do, Zack!" Brad informed, "Mike an' Ah already got plans!"

"What?" Zack and Viki's eyes went wide hearing this revelation.

"Brad and I are set for a double date all day with the Oliver twins!" Mike explained, "They're quite the darlings I must say."

"Wait, you guys are spending the day together?" Viki asked.

Zack added, "I thought you guys hated each other?"

"Well now we don't!" Brad stated, "After that trip to Fuji, Ah say that we're pretty good friends now after what we've been through."

Mike nodded, "I must agree with him. We've managed to learn a bit from each other!" He then heard a knock on the door, "That must be them now."

Zack turned to Viki, "Are you believing this?"

She shrugged but smiled, "Looks like you're now free Zack!"

Mike walked over with a pair of identical girls with long red hair, "Zack, Viki, this is Kimberly, and this is Katherine."

"Oh please, just call me Kim," One of the girls insisted.

"And call me Kat," As did the other.

"Well, we've gotta get goin' now, so y'all take care!" Brad stated as he, Mike, and the twins proceeded to leave.

The twins smiled, waving, "Nice meeting you guys!"

Zack walked after them, trying to reason, "Oh c'mon no, no… Brad, Mike, no…" As the door closed, his attempts proved to be in vain, much to Viki's satisfaction.

"Face it Zack, there's no way of you getting out of it!" Viki placed her hands on her hips, "A promise is a promise! Or are you not a man of your word?"

"Okay, okay… I'm in." Zack decided there was no use trying to get out of it. He should've been more specific when saying that he'd make it up to her. Still, he figured that there wasn't any harm to see what this expo was all about. He needed to get out more anyway… It could be worst, after all… Speaking of whom, he'd have to make a quick stop at Videl's room and drop off Elizabeth. It was _her_ turn with her anyway…

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ In order to make it up to Viki, Zack agrees to take her to the latest Comic Expo in Tokyo! New friends are made, but also new enemies.

**Chapter 9:** Comics and Cosplay! Zack and Viki's Sweet Adventure!


	9. Comics and Cosplay!

**Chapter 9:** Comics and Cosplay! Zack and Viki's Sweet Adventure!

As the elevator door opened, with her black stocking-covered legs walking on the marble floor, a young woman had a look of nervousness. All she had to do was just stay calm and appear to have a clue about the company and she should score the job. That is if everything went well of course. As she saw the receptionist typing away, she let out a smile. "Hi, I'm here for my 12 O'clock appointment!" She was a bit taken back by the shocked expression on her face.

"Y-your 12 O'clock?" She noticed the receptionist's confusion. "But that's impossible!"

"What do you mean? I was told that I had a 12 O'clock appointment today for the new administrative assistant job!"

"That can't be true because you're already in there… I think."

"The hell?" She had to think this over. She was here for her job interview, and yet this woman claims that it's already going on, most specifically she was already in there! Either she was completely dense, or there was an impostor trying to steal her job, or perhaps sabotage her. 'Like hell she is…'

"Hey wait!" The receptionist called as the interviewee walked towards the closed door as she proceeded to turn the knob…

"The hell!" Her eyes went wide at what she saw. A middle-aged man wearing a sharp black suit: That was her would-be employer. And the young girl he was talking to was a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and wearing a black skirt suit and stockings similar to hers. Thing is, she looked _exactly_ like her!

"Miss Johnson?" He responded, shocked. Wasn't he just talking to her a moment ago? If that was the real Cassie Johnson, then who was the girl he was just talking to?

"Eh…Sis?"

"Don't 'Sis,' me Ashley!" The girl, recognized as Cassie glared at her. "What the hell are you doing here, posing as me?"

"Like you're the only one that's looking for a job…" She responded.

"Too bad you're lacking the qualifications!"

"Like hell I am! Anything you can do, I can do so much better!"

"Like stealing things that don't belong to you for instance?"

"Just leave Ash! This is my interview!"

"Look, both of you should just leave!" The man firmly said. As far as he was concerned, this was just a waste of time and he couldn't tell which one was the real deal. When you found yourself stuck in the middle of both sides, to hell with both of them!

Cassie knew that she was in trouble! This was the job she's been looking for all month, and now thanks to Ashley, she'll lose it before she's hired! She didn't want to do this! She loathed doing something like this! But desperate times called for desperate measures…

He wasn't going to back down. He was a busy man and the last thing he needed to do was to get him and his company involve in some trivial sibling rivalry. They were above all that! However, he wouldn't have a chance to act on his beliefs as he felt one hand on his right thigh with another on his shoulder.

"But Mr. Leone, isn't there anything I can do to change your mind?" Cassie proceeded to massage his thigh while smiling seductively.

"Forget about her!" Ashley walked over to, in order to one-up her twin, stroke his cheek. "I mean, why would you want the imitation when you can get the real deal?"

"No…" Leone felt hands moving from his thigh… "This is unprofessional!" All the way towards his- "Stop this at once!"

Both girls blinked at the fierceness in his voice as they quickly stepped back. "But-"

"That is enough! Now both of you leave before I call security!" Arguing was one thing, but trying to seduce him as if he was some dirty old man was too far! He had a lovely wife and three kids at home. A scandal was the last thing they needed.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time…" Cassie sighed as she proceeded to leave.

Ashley made one last attempt, "If you could find it in your heart to-"

"OUT!" Leone snapped at Ashley as she rushed out from the office. As soon as they were gone, he picked up the phone. "Keep an eye out for two blonde girls. As soon as they leave the premises, make sure they never come back within a single radius of this building."

"This is all your fault, Ashley!" Cassie snapped as the two girls left the building.

"My fault?"

"That's right! I've been preparing for this interview all week and you stole it from me!"

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Cas! Wouldn't you just come out of your little fantasy world for one moment and think that there may be someone better than you out there?"

"Like who, _you_? That'll be the day!"

"Oh go to hell!" Ashley rolled her eyes as they took a turn into an alleyway.

"You go to hell!"

"No you go to hell!"

"No _you_ go to hell!"

"No _you_ go to hell!"

Cassie took a quick glance around, "Hey, I think we can stop now," she informed.

"Oh, that's right." Ashley let out a devious smile. "Nice acting there!"

"You too! I think we've given him enough time, don't you agree 'sis?'" Within that moment, "Ashley" vanished as Cassie took out what appeared to be a handheld communication device. "Racer Pink to Megablue, how did it go?"

"_Well…"_ A confident (perhaps too confident) voice responded. _"It was a bit difficult to get from the lab, seeing as there were a lot of people nearby, but I managed to grab it."_

"I hope this was worth it, because I almost vomited from actually placing my hands on that guy! Meet ya back at Ops?"

"_Good idea. There is another place we'll have to stop by soon!"_

"Oh I know. But it will be nice to take a break, though…" As she walked out of the alley, she turned towards the building she had just left. "Three… Two… One…"

A huge explosion occurred in the building, much to the shock of everyone nearby, as Cassie simply turned around. As she walked passed a hurrying police officer she just smiled, "You should call the fire department and an ambulance!"

The officer, taken back by her calmness over the event that had just transpired, turned around. However, the only thing that he saw was a discarded black skirt suit and a blonde wig. "Who the hell was that?"

**CCU: Wolf Blue Dorm**

'Why am I doing this again?' Zack twiddled his thumbs, banging his head against the door. Today, he would be spending the entire day with Viki, and where was this duo going? The Tokyo Anime Expo…whatever the hell that was. And guess how they were going to get there! A total mess indeed…

"Are you still whining?" Viki called out from the door.

"I'm already passed that point. What's taking you so long?"

"I do have to look my best!"

"What's to look your best for? It's not like we're going to a formal event or something." Despite her voice muffled, Zack still could hear a sigh coming from her.

"You just don't understand these things, Zack. I mean you really never been to an expo event? Hasn't there been like a convention for like videogames or something?"

"That's different! The Electronic Entertainment Expo is to showcase new and upcoming games. And I don't even know what the hell Anime is."

"Think cartoons from Japan. Hey, if you're lucky you might find some few people who bring Hentai."

Zack raised a brow. "Hen-tai?"

"Japanese cartoon porn." Viki explained. "Personally, I am interested in the Yaoi!"

"And now what the hell is Yaoi?"

'Should I tell him?' Viki wondered, Zack was already whining so much so she had to give him at least something to look forward too. "Think of it as HLA?"

A smile formed at hearing "HLA." If that meant what he thought it was, maybe going to the expo wouldn't be so bad after all. "Well since you've put it that way, then what are we waiting for, besides you changing?"

Viki let out a giggle in response to Zack's sudden change of mood. It was typical for a guy to be excited at the mere thought of two girls kissing each other. Probably in their genes, she figured. The bad thing about this now was how he was going to react when he actually _saw_ what Yaoi actually was. 'At least he's excited now…'

The door opened, causing Zack to fall onto his back from his seated position. From looking upward, he could see Viki in a pink and white bodysuit, save for the pink wig and pink Oakley-styled sunglasses. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"I am, FYI, Agent 0038 Pretty Secret Agent Haruka!" Viki posed dramatically for the grounded red ranger.

"Hmmm…" Zack took to examine the bodysuit she was wearing, down to the high-heeled boots. "Looks nice on ya!"

"Thanks! Haruka's so cool! She has all these awesome gadgets, like the lipstick saber! The blush sleeping gas, the-"

"Girly-stuff as weapons… Not a bad concept!" Zack kip-upped to his feet, "The shuttle to Tokyo's gonna leave in a few! Let's hurry so we don't miss it!"

"Or we can just-"

"Do you really want to take that risk?"

"But think of how cool it would be if, just like that, we appear out of nowhere in front of everyone!"

"Then we'll be kicked out for entering without paying!"

Viki glared at her "date," "We wouldn't actually teleport past the ticket gate! Aren't you supposed to be working on your powers?"

Zack countered, "Not for your amusement and benefit! Besides, I never said I'd use my powers to get us there!"

She pouted, "You're not fun…" There was just no way she'd win this argument.

**Anime Expo, Tokyo Dome, Japan**

"Here we are!" Viki chirped as Zack looked around. This place was a lot bigger than he thought it would be. Various vendors and stands nearby as there were a lot of people in different costumes, just like Viki was. Also, there were a few bands playing a few techno-rock songs. Yep this was a place for anyone to get their name on the radar of the media. But now it was down to business.

Viki noticed Zack attempt to leave, "Wait, where ya going?"

"Take a wild guess," he replied.

"But we just got here!"

"I'm not leaving relax!" Zack assured, "I'm just going to check out this Yaoi stuff!"

A nervous chuckle escaped from her lips. "Well… Umm… Good luck with that." She really didn't want to be there when he actually did check out the Yaoi. She wanted to tell him, but it was the fact that he'd blow up at her that prevented her. She'd just cross that bridge when she came across it, as she decided to look for the Agent Haruka stuff, particularly some excusive artwork. Maybe perhaps the replica lipstick saber compared to the toy one she has would be in an auction. It didn't take too much time, despite the large crowd, to find the stand. As expected, it had various artworks of Haruka as well as some of the supporting cast: Inspector Shiratori, Kenji Nagano, Ayame Atori.

It was then when Viki saw it. Concealed in a long glass case, a golden lipstick handle with a long thin violet blade sticking out! This was it! This was the replica of Haruka's trademark lipstick saber! The metallic lipstick handle was evident enough, compared to the plastic one of the toy version. "Ohmygod…"

She quickly rushed over. She had to get a better look at it. Forget trying to buy it though. With her luck, she'd be lucky if it was only worth $1,000. Not even her monthly allowance would help pay for it. Her ex and his new Lorecorian boyfriend could both kiss her ass, and her parents wouldn't even dream of loaning her that much money as a birthday present. Still, at least she could be satisfied knowing that she actually got to see it in person instead of on a website…

"This is so awesome!"

"This is like, so cool!"

"I can't believe I'm actually seeing this!"

"I never thought I'd be able to see this!"

"This is just too cruel to be taunting us like this!"

"I know! They should just let us real fans have first priority over buying this thing."

"Then again, it wouldn't be as valuable if it was that affordable."

"True! They don't call these things collectables for nothing."

Viki blinked, her attention was so into the weapon that she didn't noticed the conversation she had started as she turned over to a girl who was dressed the same way as her, save for her hair being golden blonde as well as having orange-colored, black-striped cat-ears and tail. "You like Agent Haruka, too?"

"I just love it!" She extended her hand, "Arianna."

"Viki," She shook her hand, "So, first time here?"

"Second, actually! It was so fun last year! Shino Kobayashi came last year!"

"Really! He's like so dreamy!"

"I manage to get not only his autograph but a small strand of his hair!"

"You lie!"

"I did! It's hanging on the wall in my room next to his poster!"

Zack watched the two girls interacting, "Heh, didn't know Viki had a clone…" He turned to the nearby vendor, "Is it always like this?"

"You bet!" He shrugged, "Ever since the migration to other planets due to overpopulation, the events just keep getting bigger. So what are you here for?"

"I'm with the girl in pink over there. But I am interested into the Yaoi she mentioned about."

"So, you bat for the other team huh?"

"What?" Zack adamantly replied, "NO! I like girls! Why else would I want to see some of that Yaoi she told me about!"

He raised an eyebrow at this, "Are you sure you want to see any of that?"

"Hey, she said that it had HLA in it! Any full-blooded male would love to see some of that!"

"Yeah, but Yaoi?" He shook his head, "My friend, you are horribly misinformed."

Zack blinked, "Say what?"

The vendor proceeded to pull out a manga while pulling Zack in closer. "See there, _this_ is your Yaoi my friend!" He stated as he turned the pages, "And this, and this, and this!" He showed, much to the red ranger's shock.

Zack couldn't believe what he was seeing, "WHAT THE HELL?"

"Do you know if they're gonna have the blow dryer blaster replica on display?" Viki asked.

Arianna blinked, "You mean there's a blow dryer blaster replica too?"

"Duh, Shigeru Yamada said in an interview that there has been at least one replica made of all of Haruka's weapons."

"Even the tranquilizer comb?"

"Even the tranquilizer comb!"

"I need to get up to date!"

"It's simple! Haven't ya heard of ? That's the top source for all of your Anime needs!" Viki then noticed Zack walking towards her. From his tweaked expression, he wasn't really happy. "Uh-oh…"

"What?" Arianna noticed Zack. "Who's he, your boyfriend or something?"

"No! We're just friends!"

"Then why is he angry? He looks kinda mean."

"He can be lazy and headstrong, but he's alright!" Viki assured, despite knowing _why_ he wasn't happy.

Zack grabbed her by the wrist, "Can I have a word with you please?"

Viki almost lost her footing as she found herself quickly following the angry guy to a corner, with Arianna silently following. Once they were near a corner, "What's wrong, Zack?"

"What's wrong?" He let out a sarcastic chuckle. "What's wrong is that you conned me!"

"Conned you, about what?"

"You know exactly what I mean. How Yaoi is like HLA!"

"Yeah…" Viki chuckled nervously, "About that…"

"Yep, Yaoi is really like HLA… IF YOU'RE GAY!"

Viki winced, "You don't have to be so upset!"

"You got me excited over Gay Porn! OF COURSE I'M GONNA BE UPSET!"

"Viki, what's wrong?" Arianna checked in, "Is everything alright?"

Viki looked down, remorse showed on her face. "Look Zack I'm sorry… I didn't…"

Zack sighed, knowing that it was pointless to get angry at her. It would only cause problems in the long run, as if he hasn't had enough already… "Look Viki, it's alright! At least I found out about this before I ended up buying those comics."

"That's a good way of looking at it. And by the way they're called Manga!"

"Right…" Zack rolled his eyes, "I'm gonna… grab myself a hotdog and cool down a bit."

"O-ok Zack. Again, I'm so-" Viki was caught off-guard by her lips being pressed onto another pair.

"Is that better?" Arianna smiled at Zack, who was just as speechless. "The name's Arianna by the way!"

He blinked, "That was… unexpected."

"I'll say…" Viki agreed, not really sure what was more weird. The fact she pressed lips against a girl's, or how sudden it was.

"I just decided to give him HLA!" The catgirl shrugged. "No problem right?"

"Right…"

"I appreciate the gesture, but I'm really gonna need a hotdog right now." As Zack walked away, Arianna went into deep thought.

"Is he always this intense?" She asked Viki.

"He's really more laid-back. It usually depends on the situation and people. If it's stressful, he can be rather snappy. Especially about his sleep…"

"Maybe we need something to lighten him up! Maybe like a gag!"

"Are you sure we should be messing with him right now, all things considered?"

"Oh come on! It'll be fun, trust me!"

Viki glanced at Zack, who was over at a hotdog stand. She was still unsure about it, but why not? Zack was definitely someone who needs a good joke. "What do you have in mind?"

"Be my double!"

Viki blinked, "What?"

"Yeah! You be me! I mean, what's the difference?" Arianna noticed the size difference of her chest and Viki's. "Oh yeah…"

"But I doubt it'll be an issue if we handle the most important thing: Your ears and tail and my hair."

"But you're just wearing a wig, are you?"

"Don't worry I have an extra wig in my bag. And the dye that can change its color to pink! You can wash it every day for ten years and it'll keep its color."

"Yeah but… What about my ears and tail?"

"A stylish headband and belt can easily take care of that!" Viki assured. "Anyway, I'll work on the preparations. You take care of Zack for a while. Make sure that he doesn't leave or anything."

Arianna nods, "Gotcha!" Then giggles, "This is going to be so fun!"

Viki smiled, 'Oh Zack I can't wait to see the look on your face.' She wasn't sure if it was wise to mess with him, as far all she knew this could lead to him snapping, not talking to her, or worse: He teleports himself home, leaving her here. Now that she thought about it, wasn't it her who had to borrow money from him in the first place to pay the fee due to the miscalculation of the cost of making her costume and props? Hopefully this would all turn out for the best.

**CCU: Red Lion Dorm**

"My three kings and an Ace beat your tens! So sorry, but we win again!"

Brad watched on as Kim and Kat proceeded to disrobe once more, much to their dismay. Kat added a left black high heeled boot and Kim added a white open blouse to the table filled with a pair of black army boots, green T-shirt, white sneakers, and a blue polo shirt. 'Took long 'nuff…' The day with the Oliver Twins has been a great one thus far. Went to see a few movies, then took them out to the firing range, and now here they were.

Mike had a brilliant idea to play a game with the freshmen girls. It was nothing much, only an innocent, friendly game of strip poker at their place! After a few rounds, only he and Mike were the ones disrobing. Now it was the girl's turn to strip down. It wasn't much, but at least it was a start.

Kat gathered the cards, "Alright, deal again?"

"Why stop now?" Mike replied with a smile, after a rocky start in this game, it was already starting to pay off. Granted that it cost them some clothing, but now it was _their_ turn to disrobe. If they played their cards right, Brad and himself would have the honor seeing two beautiful girls in all of their beauty. _All_ of their beauty…

"This time, let's raise the stakes!" Kim challenged, "Let's put up three articles of clothing!"

Brad blinked, "Whoa now! Isn't that 'bit much?"

"What's wrong?" Kat pulled down a strap of her yellow top, "Scared?"

"S'cuse me?"

Kim bent herself forward, "Surely you've wondered how we'd look if it weren't for these meddlesome clothes, have you not?" As if to add the exclamation point, she trailed her fingers from her shoulder down to the top of her bustier-covered breasts.

"…Ah dunno…"

Mike nudged at his friend, "What are you doing? These ladies are giving us a wonderful opportunity!"

"But c'mon! Three clothes per round? You don' think that ain't risky?"

"The greatest risks lead to the greatest rewards. And besides, tell me you never thought of the idea of seeing two beautiful ladies in nothing but their unmentionables, or even less? And them both being twins, no less!"

Brad closed his eyes. As asinine as this wager was, he had to admit the idea of seeing Kim and Kat stripping down was appealing. But seeing as if they didn't have that much clothing left, this was a plan that could backfire, horribly.

Sighing, Brad narrowed his eyes before looking at the girls, "Let's get it on!"

**Anime Expo, Tokyo Dome, Japan**

Zack leaned against the wall with his cheese turkey dog. It hasn't been a whole day and already he was ready to leave. He almost ended up buying gay porn, but at the same time he meet Viki's friend who obviously had at least bi-tendencies. Maybe he was just being pessimistic. He had to hold out a bit longer. He did promise Viki he'd make it up to her.

"Slow day, huh?"

Zack turned around to see an African-American guy with his hair in cornrows, more in a traditional manner than the zig-zag style Wes Benta often wore his, sipping on a cherry slurpee. "Yeah, it is pretty slow."

"What you're in for? Girlfriend dragged you into here?"

"Nah, I'm making it up to a friend by bringing her here."

"Oh, what'd you do? Forget a birthday?"

"No."

"Ruin her dress? Chicks do manage to get anal about that."

"No, not even that."

"Then what!"

"I watched a reality TV show in front of her!"

He winced, "Those kind of people, huh?"

"Tell me about it. It took promising her to take her here and being her script reading partner for a week to calm her down. I mean, it's just a show that only lasts for one hour! Nothing more nothing less…"

"Well in my case, my girl…well… she's not really my girl but how possessive she is of me she may as well be!"

"Those kinds of girls, huh?"

"I mean if even a girl looks at me, she's like a pit bull. When I asked her on it, she said she was looking out for my best interests!"

"Women…"

"Women…"

"Can't live with 'em…"

"Can't live without 'em…" He sighed, "Anyway, she's really a huge sucker for those Chipikamon or whatever they're called. She says that they're 'So cute, like OMG!'

"Let me guess: She expects you to buy her one!"

"I wouldn't be surprised." He extends out a hand, "Ty!"

He shakes, "Zack."

"Looks like you've made yourself a friend, too!"

Zack looked to see Arianna approach him with a smile, a suspicious smile that made him cautious. She was acting friendly, too friendly…

"Zack, can I talk to you?"

He shrugged, "Sure, what's up."

"I want a baby!"

Zack froze in response, "Say wha-?"

"I mean it! I want to have a baby!"

Zack looked towards Ty, who shrugged. "Okay… And what does this have to do with me?"

"It's well… Umm…" Arianna looked down to her white boots before looking at him straight in the eye. "Zack, let me have your babies!"

He nearly spit out the chewed contents of his hotdog, "SAY WHAT!"

"I'm serious, Zack! I want to have your babies!"

"Looks like you got an admirer, Zack!" Ty teased.

Zack couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Oh for the love of-We just met!"

Arianna stated, arms crossed, "I don't care!"

"Aren't we a bit young for this kind of thing?" Zack had too much problems with his own schoolwork to deal with the life of another. Speaking of schoolwork, he had his own "bundle of joy" to take care of.

"I don't mind, Zack! Really! All I care about is my baby growing up strong in a nice and healthy environment."

"I'm gonna… Pretend I never heard this…" Zack decided to take a seat at the table, the shock of this request being a bit much for him to take.

"But Zack, please think it through! I'm ready and willing to give myself to you!" Arianna continued to plead, sitting right across from him.

"And that's what scares me!" Being a guy he wouldn't turn down a one-night-stand if both participants were single and willing. But this was just too suspicious. Was this Viki's doing? 'Wait a minute, where is she?'

"Please, can you at least consider letting me bare your children?"

'This has to be some joke.' Zack smiled, and held onto Arianna's hand. "You're a nice girl and all Arianna, but it's just too soon. Maybe if we've known each other longer and enjoy each other perhaps… But for now, I just met you a few minutes ago.

With a look of rejection on her face, Arianna stood up. "Okay…" As she sadly walked away, Ty gave him a look as if he was the dumbest person on the planet.

"What are you thinking? You just got a free ticket for some booty and you give it up?"

"Did you hear a word she said? She wants to bear my children!"

"Do you know what they say about Rhynian women?"

"I know all about Rhynian women, but that doesn't mean I'm going to act based on stereotypes! Besides, this was just all some kind of joke devise by Viki for the hell of it," Zack declared.

"Your friend?"

"Yes, my friend. This is all just some kind of joke just to get me riled up!" Zack sighed, "That girl can be up to something for the hell of it!"

…

With a sigh, she opened the door to the restroom. She knew she shouldn't have been here, much less on this planet. But she just had to come here anyway. After all, it wasn't everyday she could go to an expo event such as this. And what was the reason why she was here, what was the source of putting their duty on the backburner? A scoff left her lips, they didn't even have the freaking thing. She was excited, she was up all night thinking about it, how to tell the others why she would take this day off, and for what? Just to find out that production of it was cancelled due to 'lack of interest.' Like hell it was lack of interest! She'd have to take a trip to Fujiwara Toys to settle a few things or two and perhaps light a few fires under their asses – literally!

As she walked towards the sink, she ignored the two blondes who were talking as she examined herself in the mirror. That tensed expression on her face wasn't doing her any long-term favors, but to hell with what _she_ says! She didn't felt like being all smiles. Not after this injustice. But at least her hair looked good, as always. Her long auburn locks that had slight curls were a sight to behold. Screw blondes and brunettes, auburn was the in-thing as far as she was concerned. If there was anything that went well today was that she manage to score this new herbal shampoo that just got released to try. Got to love shampoo containing the scent of exotic fruits! As she placed down the bottle, she couldn't help but overhear the blondes' discussion…

"He didn't take it so well, did he?"

"Yeah, I did go a bit far with the whole 'babies' thing. But he does seem to be a nice guy. Most guys would've tried to jump on me after giving the 'go 'head…'"

"Well the guys I know aren't like that. Well, Mike may be a bit of a flirt, but at least he's respectful."

"And the other one?"

"He's a bit tough, but he's more like a teddy bear when you get to know him!"

Like hell she wanted to know what they were talking about… Typical blondes, always thinking that they ran the world, believing that the whole universe revolved around them, feeling that they were the end-all be-all of women! Try getting a gay guy to marry them in five minutes then she'll _think_ about considering the greatness of blondes. Brunettes weren't that better either, with their hypocritical remarks, but at least they didn't annoy her as much as blondes did. One annoying girl was enough…

"So how do I look?"

"I must say that you look good in pink girl, Ari!"

"Are you sure the dye won't run into my hair!"

"Don't worry! I made sure that it was dry before you got in here!"

"Well okay! Should we continue in our master plan of messing with Zack?"

"Let's!"

"Thank god…" She muttered under her breath as she saw the blondes leave… Now to test out the new shampoo, as she turned on the faucet… As she began to soak her hair, she proceeded to pour a small handful of the shampoo. However, if she would've noticed, she would realize the pink liquid that poured in her hand in place of the usual clear liquid…

…

"Oh man, what are they doing?" Zack noticed a pair of girls with pink hair and similar colored cat ears and tails. However, one of them was a bit off.

"Trying to mix an anime heroine with a popular fetish since anime was discovered: Catgirls!" Ty added his two cents, "Twins do make the best friends with benefits."

"You're not helping…" Zack saw the two girls approach him, both smiling deviously. "I don't believe this."

"Hi Zack!" They both say in perfect unison, much to his chagrin.

"Okay I get it: You're twins! Fun's over you two!"

Ty gave a smirk, "I know one of you ain't doing a good job of impersonating another!"

They give him a look of concern, "What's wrong?"

"For starts, one of you is well-endowed while the other's like a board."

"What! I am not-"

"Viki!"

Ty turned to Zack, "See, not that hard to figure out!"

Arianna frowned, "Of course it's not for a pervert!"

He held his hands up, "Hey, it's my job to notice small things like these!"

"Hey!" Viki pouted, "They're quite right, thank you very much!"

Arianna frowned, "No need to be all Pervy Mr. Pervy-Pants!"

Confused by the two aspiring twins, Ty looked towards Zack, who only shrugged. "Are they always like this?"

"They're just messing with ya," Zack assured. Viki often liked teasing people, having no qualms with breaking and entering. "Best not to worry about…"

Ty nodded, "If you say so. I guess-" A loud scream… More like a shriek was heard as a soft sigh came from his lips. "Great…"

Viki also heard the sound, "You heard that, right Zack?"

'Please not today…' Zack wasn't in the mood to be dealing with Syral, let alone without their morphers. That could be said for any other day, but this day was supposed to be somewhat of a sabbatical from their battles. From the looks of an angry girl, having a hint of Hispanic in her ethnicity, with a towel wrapped around her hair, fortunately it didn't involve Syral. However it did not mean that trouble would not arise.

The girl soon spotted Viki and Arianna, "You…"

Both looked towards each other, both confused at what's going on. "Umm…"

"Hold on a second!" Zack tried to play peacemaker between the three girls. He had no idea what was happening, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Viki get into a fight.

"You stay out of this!" She snapped at him.

Ty tried his shot, "C'mon Amanda, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong, Ty?" She narrowed her eyes, "You wanna know what's wrong? Thanks to these two ditzes, this happened!" With the removal of the towel all four pairs of eyes were fixed on her hair.

"Wow!" Arianna eyes were wide…

Zack shook his head, "Damn…"

"How did you get it to be so pink?" Viki commented, slightly envious. While she might've been able to make the wigs pink successfully, but they weren't as pink as her hair was.

"Aw man…" Ty sighed, now knowing exactly how angry Amanda was now.

"Yeah, that's right! Thanks to them, my hair is now this annoying color!"

Arianna didn't know what to do about this, "What did we do?"

"You sabotaged me! You deliberately stole my Shampoo and switched it with this!" She held up the bottle, containing the shampoo that caused her hair to be in its current color.

"You use Herbal Showers, too?" Viki examined the bottle, "The Melon Berry smell's great, isn't it?"

"_Yours_ was Melon Berry! Mine was Banana Mango!" Amanda narrowed her eyes, "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to it, would you?"

"I still don't know what makes you think I took it." Viki went into her bag, "I mean, just because you don't have Melon Berry doesn't mean that-" She took out the bottle as she soon look at the bottle. She soon froze in shock, "That…" Instead of the picture of a Watermelon and Berries that usually was on the face of the bottle, was a picture of a bunch of bananas and a mango fruit. "Uh oh…"

"Caught red-handed," Amanda crossed her arms. Now that it was confirmed that they did stole her shampoo, all there was left to do was to gain compensation for this… this tragedy! Namely, a fiery ass-kicking Pinky would never forget!

"Look, I'm sorry! It was just an accident! I'm sure we can do something to take out the color!"

Arianna blinked, "But didn't you say that you could wash it over ten times and it'll still retain its color?"

"Ari!"

"WHAAAAT!" As if this couldn't get any worse for Viki, Amanda was ready to yank out a bundle of pink hair, followed by the head of its owner. It was bad enough her auburn locks were ruined, but now that her hair was to remain in this ridiculous color?

Zack whispered to Viki, "Couldn't you at least _see_ which bottle you grabbed?"

"How was I supposed to know it wasn't mine?"

"Apparently there was a way!" Zack hoped that there wasn't going to be fight because of this. Not today. Luckily this Amanda girl was Ty's friend, but then again he wasn't sure if even _he_ can keep her in check. Her glare alone was enough to cut off the head of a lion. Note to self: Try not to get on her bad side.

Ty dreaded the worst was coming, "Don't do it Mandy…" He could sense the fiery rage within her, ready and willing to explode out of her. He didn't want to, but if she made a move towards Viki, Zack, anyone, or do anything that'll compromise their position, he'll step in. The last thing they needed was to bring attention to the Intergalactic Federation, _again_!

"THAT DOES IT! YOU'RE ASS IS GRASS, PINKY!"

Viki flinched at the screaming, "Eep!"

As did Arianna, "Uh-oh!"

Zack readied himself for the inevitable defense, "Aw man…"

Amanda rushed towards Viki, the girl who ruined her hair. She was going to pay, dearly for this! She'll pummel her, torture her, then pummel her some more! After all that work she had often put into maintaining and grooming her hair, now it was doomed to be as pink as those idiots' wigs were. As she was about to leap, she found herself stopped. Her feet wouldn't move! Her legs, her arms, her hands… Even her head couldn't move! "Damn it, Ty! What the hell?"

"No can do!" Ty's arm was extended as his fist was closed. He wasn't going to let her do anything that'll get him or herself in trouble. "Now will you calm down, or do I have to force you into time out!"

"But-"

"But nothing Amanda," Ty finished. "We're all going to act like mature adults here."

"Tell that to them…" Amanda muttered before reluctantly nodding her head… at least as much as Ty would allow, "Fine…"

"Dodged a bullet there…" Zack whispered to Viki.

Viki waved off, "Not really, You'd just step in to help me, right?"

"You're not out of the woods yet…"

Having regained control, Amanda scoffed, "Be glad Ty was here!" Her eyes narrowed at Viki before turning to Arianna, "Sleep with one eye open."

Both girls turned to each other, each filled with worry as Zack closed his eyes. This was going to get worse, he could feel it…

"Don't worry about her!" Ty assured as Amanda stormed off. "She's just a bit excited for the new Chinpikamons coming out."

Viki blinked, "You mean they have those, too?"

"_Had_ those," Arianna corrected. "Those things sold out in like five minutes!"

Ty was surprised at the news, "Sold out? Mandy told me they didn't even have them, due to a lack of interest."

"Well your girl heard wrong. Didn't you see the kids holding their Kittyroo and Unimingo plushies?"

"Well that's just great…" Ty sighed, as if Amanda needed another reason to get angry.

"That's why preorders exist…" Zack casually stated, "To avoid missing out on what you want."

He looked around, "I better go. With Amanda as angry as she is, there's no telling what she may do…"

Zack nodded, "It was nice meeting ya, man!"

"Likewise…"

Viki watched as Ty proceeded to leave, "Is she really that angry?"

Zack rolled his eyes, "Really Viki, how could you mix up the bottles like that?"

"I don't know! I mean I just grabbed the bottle! The only difference is the picture at the front, and it's not like it was big enough to cover the whole bottle!"

After a sigh, Zack gave her a soft smile, "The important thing is that we're all safe and that nobody got hurt!"

Arianna nodded, "That's one way of looking at it!"

"Point taken…" The pink ranger looked down, "Still…"

"Viki, it was an accident! Things happen! Anyone could've made that mistake! It'll blow over soon!"

She scoffed, "Yeah, in about ten years…"

"Zacky's right!" Arianna encouraged, "You can't beat yourself over this Viki! If at all, it's her fault as much as it is yours! She should've made sure that the bottle she was using was hers in the first place!"

Zack winced at being called "Zacky," "Don't call me that…"

"Okay Zacky," The cat girl answered, much to the red ranger's annoyance. "So c'mon Viki! Let's get our pictures taken with the Lipstick Saber!"

Viki sighed, "Okay… Still…"

"Viki, just forget about it!" Zack was getting annoyed with Viki's guilt trip. It was just an accident. It wasn't as if she killed Amanda's parents or anything. "C'mon, we're here so we've might as well enjoy the rest of the day!"

Arianna noticed Viki's depressed expression was still there. "Don't tell me you're taking Amanda's threat seriously! She threatened me too, but I'm not taking it to heart! So come on already! Where's your spirit? Remember what Haruka always says?"

Viki looked up, "When the going gets tough…"

"When everything turns for the worse…"

"Never give up!"

"Never give in!"

"Always believe, and they'll always work out for the best!" They both finished the motto as Zack watched on amazingly. Viki was down not too long ago, now she's back to her chipper mood. And from a cartoon, no less! Maybe he'd have to look into this show after all, it was quite the motivator. Besides, if this Agent Haruka was anything like how these girls were dressed, he might have a reason to actually watch an episode or two. At least Viki wasn't feeling down anymore about the whole hair thing, thank god. Besides, it's not like she'd ever see Amanda again.

…

"C'mon… c'mon…" As she desperately tried to scrub with her lathered hands, strain could be seen in her eyes. As she dropped her head into the spring, she pulled it out just as quickly. Within moments she wrapped the towel around her head to dry before removing it. Looking at her reflection in the water… "Damn it!"

She lathered and scrubbed once more before rinsing and drying once more. However, the results remained the same. "It just won't come out!" Sadness was evident in her voice as tears began to come from her eyes. After ten years of growing and conditioning it, she finally had her hair the way she wanted it. Her beautiful long auburn hair! And it took those two idiots in pink ten minutes to ruin all of that! As she saw her reflection, she threw a nearby rock through it.

"It's not that bad, you know!"

She turned towards the source of the voice. "Don't look at me! Not like this!"

"Working the dramatic angst a bit aren't we?"

"You don't understand, Ty! You just don't understand!" Amanda explained, "Do you know how long it took for me to grow it out this long? After that fight?"

"The one where you'd got a bob-styled 'do during your first exam? Yeah I remembered that."

"More like a bob-styled don't." She scoffed, "It took me three years for it to reach back to my shoulders. And finally it got back down to my waist. My hair was finally back where it was, and then those two idiots ruined it."

"So they changed the color. It's not that bad! Have you thought of just re-dying it?"

"And make it worse? Don't think so!"

Ty sighed, "Well look at it this way! It could be worse!"

"Yeah? How?"

"You could have a boy's haircut again! Or could be bald…"

"Don't even joke!" Amanda stood up, grabbing a strand of her now-pink hair, "Those two…" Her grip tightened, "Those idiots ruined my hair. I won't let this go!"

"We'll worry about your cosmetic crisis later!" Ty informed, "We have business in Lorecora!"

Amanda nodded, "Right. Let's get those things already so we can focus on more important things like… I dunno… MY HAIR?"

Ty sighed, "That anger, that aggression, that intensity you have now? Use it on the guards when we get there."

Within a deep breath, Amanda regained focus. As much as she wondered why Ty went all apologist-like on her, he had a point. She could always put what Viki and Arianna did on the backburner for now. What was more important was on Lorecora. All that mattered was that within each step, they would become closer to completing their goal. Then she could deal with the two bimbos with righteous fury and extreme prejudice…

**CCU Wolf Blue Dorm**

"Now wasn't that fun?" Viki chirped with a smile as she plopped onto the couch in the den.

"Yeah, I have to admit it was kinda cool!" Zack looked into his bag.

She smirked, "You got your HLA I take it?"

"Yeah, and it's the _real_ deal! Not that Yaoi crap you punked me on about! I'm surprised at how much was available! I mean isn't it illegal to sell this? But I'm not complaining."

"It's not really sanctioned, but it's so much on the DL that they basically look the other way."

Zack took out a book, "I really like the cat girl on the cover. She has all the right curves, and she's not lacking in the chest de-"

"Don't mention it." Viki was still miffed at what Ty had mentioned earlier, "Zack?"

"Sup?"

"Do you think I'm… l-lacking?"

Zack blinked, "Wha? Time out!"

"I'm serious!" Viki's voice became sterner. "Do you think that I'm less developed than say like…Arianna?"

Zack brushed his hands through his dreads, "There's no good answer to that question!"

"I don't care if it's good or not! I want to know your opinion!"

'There no way out of this…' Zack sighed, "Okay Viki! Arianna, despite being a bit out there, does have a nice body! But compare to you, she-" He was interrupted by the sound of a door slamming open.

"You an' yer damn plans!"

"How was I supposed to foreseen this event!"

Zack and Viki turned over to find Brad and Mike, both wearing nothing but white towels around their waists. "I'm not even gonna ask…"

"'With my plan and my strategy, there's no way we'll lose a game of strip poker! There is no possible way they can beat us' He says…" Brad's hand that was holding up his towel was tightening into a fist, shaking. "HOW 'BOUT THEM GROWIN' UP IN A POKER-PLAYING FAMILY, YA JACKASS!"

Mike sighed, "Luckily, Kat and Kim were generous enough to loan us these towels. Hopefully no photos were taken during the walk back."

"If this ends up on College Humor, Ah'll have yer hide!" Brad found a hardcover book depicting of anime-styled voluptuous brunette vixen in a black Bikini on the cover. "The hell's this?"

"I got it from the Expo." Zack assured, "You'll like."

Mike grinned as he picked up the book. "Ah, 'Minako's Desires' I take it? Quite a marvelous read if I do say so myself!"

Brad snatched the book away, "Now this is sum good ole' Hot Lesbian Action right here!" This could almost make up for losing his clothes at the Oliver Girls' place. …Almost.

"Try not to mess them up!" Zack had just gotten the books and the last thing he wanted was the entire male population of the blue dorm to know. _He_ didn't even get the chance to read them yet.

Viki couldn't help but giggle at the way Brad and Mike were fighting over the yuri hentai manga and Zack trying to keep the peace. Still, aside from the hair incident with Amanda, it was a good day! She met a new friend, got an autographed sketch of Agent Haruka and got a picture of the replica lipstick saber. Although she would like to have the real deal, but at least it was something. If only life could always be like this. However, she knew that to have one of those days was rare knowing what was at stake, but she couldn't help but feel that during all of this, the Syrallian Army was planning something. Something big…

* * *

_Next Chapter: _Viki receives a callback for a role in the movie. However, due to a sinister plot, she switches bodies with Anna!

**Chapter 10:** Viki's Big Break! A Darker Shade of Pink!


	10. Viki’s Big Break! A Darker Shade of Pink

**Chapter 10:** Viki's Big Break! A Darker Shade of Pink!

"Next!"

'Stay calm… Stay calm…' As her fingertips moved together with her eyes wondering, Viki saw various girls who were either seated or standing in the building. She didn't know what to think, whether they would be big competition or just be filler just to motivate others to do a good job. She didn't know why she was so nervous. It wasn't as if this was her first audition. Okay, maybe for this particular role, but in general this had to be like her what, 12th audition? Then again, out of those 12 auditions, it wasn't as if she landed a part. An extra maybe, a possible alternate sometimes, but never actually being selected for the role!

'Keep it together girl, nothing to worry about…' She saw the other girls. Some who were just as nervous as she was, while others were confident! Knowing full well that not only they would get the part, but they _were_ the part! If only things would be that easy. But Viki was confident that as long as she remembered her lines, performed in an outstanding way, and made herself stand out, then she should land the role. If this turned out well, who knows? Perhaps more roles would come to her, and finally she may become a huge star! Perhaps the next queen of the teen movie scene! Hell, she may even become the next Marina Cross! Maybe not…

"Next!"

Viki took in a deep breath. 'Here we go…' As she rose to her feet, she calmly walked into the room where the coordinator stood, giving her a small smile for luck.

…

"That skinny-mini bitch thinks that she can come into _my_ school and steal _my_ boyfriend? It's about time she knew who she was dealing with!"

"Let's put Miss Perfect in her place!"

"When we're done with her, she wouldn't dare show her face ever again!"

"You know it!"

"So…"

"… So what?"

"So how are we supposed to do this? Duh! Why do you think I keep you around for?"

"I thought you had a plan!"

"Do you remember the agreement we made when I decided to grace you with my presence? You were to plan, I was to act!"

"Riiight…"

"And scene!" The director stated as Viki and the woman who served as a script reader turned towards his direction.

The producer, who appeared to be in his late 30s, began to review the young would-be actress' performance. "Good presence! Excellent eye contact! Not to mention having a good head on your shoulders."

'They like me!' She wanted to cheer, but she decided to just stand there, quietly while the producer and director went over their critique of the blonde.

"But…"

Viki mentally stiffened at the last statement. 'But? But? But what!' What was it? She had the attitude, she had the scene presence, what was it now? She tried not to cry, feeling that this opportunity crumbling beneath her feet. 'Don't tell me I had toilet paper stuck on my shoe again …'

**CCU Student Union**

"How much longer do we have this hellish assignment for?"

"Approximately at least another two weeks." Claude's explanation caused Zack to bang his head onto the table. "Oh come on, she's not that bad, is she?"

"It would be better if it was as painful as a root canal." He yawned, "This is worst than a root canal. I just can't wait to get my A so I can take a long, much-needed brake from Videl."

"I think you're beyond exaggerating."

"If you like her so much, then why don't you work with her?"

"I don't! But you're making her out as if she's the devil!"

"Okay, maybe I am making it a bigger deal than I have, but it hasn't been exactly smooth-sailing."

"From the look of your baby, you seem to be doing well!"

"That is the best thing about this assignment." In all honest opinion, Zack was surprised she was doing well, given the constant arguing and swearing between her "parents." God knows he wouldn't if he was in Ser…er Elizabeth's situation.

"Yo Zack, help us out!"

Zack rolled his eyes, "Not in the mood, Wes!"

"Oh c'mon, Z! He's killing us!"

"Not my problem!"

"Y'all still havin' trouble?" Brad walked in on the complaining young man.

Wes explained the situation, "He's murderin' us man! It's so unreal!"

"Don't y'all worry anymore! Ah'll get yer money back from 'em!"

Zack sighed as he watched Brad and Wes leave, "They'll be back."

"Don't think Brad stands a chance, I take it?" Claude asked.

"I don't think _anyone_ has a chance. Even a psychic who knew how to stop him couldn't win. He's just that good!" Zack explained. "Anyway, how are you and Viki getting along?"

"Well, it's be going well!" Claude explained, cradling his "daughter," "Whenever I need to do something and can't bring her along, Viki gladly takes the baby from me. It's almost as if she really believes that it's really _her_ baby!"

"Well if there's one thing about Viki, she really takes things to heart! But as she's usually the one who's taking care of the baby, you obviously have a lot of free time."

"I know, but… How should I explain it? I thought this assignment was supposed to be a two-person one. One in which we both have to work together.

"Let me guess: You want more time with the baby?"

"Well it's…Yeah I would like to have some more time with Allie so I can at least learn something from this!"

"I'll trade ya mothers." Zack offered.

"I'm not that desperate!"

"Can't blame a guy for trying…" Zack felt the sound of pool balls knocking together as he looked at his digital watch. "Five… Four… Three… Two…"

"Damn it, you cheated!"

Zack smirked at Brad's obvious defeat, "What'd I tell ya?"

"Well gentlemen, that'll be all for me today!" Mike declared, looking at the pile of cash he had won from rounds and rounds of pool, as he walked over towards the "Fathers' Table." "I must say it was quite a profitable afternoon."

"Like hell it's all fer you today!" Brad, along with Wes, stormed towards them before turning to Zack. "Kill 'em!"

"Playing against Mike in pool would mean that you're either rich and or stupid and I'm neither!" Zack stated.

"Oh c'mon! That guy's obviously cheatin'! How the hell does he knock 'em all in just three turns?"

Zack blinked, "Three turns?"

Mike explained, "When one carefully plans their shots as well as I do, I say that it's quite possible to do it all in one!"

"Well I gotta shot fer ya right-" Brad stopped, noticing a stunned Viki walking in through the door. "S'wrong with her?"

"Yo Viki, come over here!" Zack called over as she soon walked towards the guys. "What's wrong?"

"Can I ask you guys a question?" She asked with a slight tad of depression in her voice.

"Sure!"

"Of course!"

"Go 'head!"

"No problem."

"Fire away!"

"How mean am I?" She asked. "I mean, am I only a tad mean or just moderately mean! I mean I can be bitchy sometimes, right?"

"Umm…"

"Well…"

"Uhh…"

"Hoo boy…"

"Hmm…"

"Guys, this is serious!" Viki responded in a somewhat-whiney tone. "Do you think I can be mean or not?"

The five boys looked around each other before they decided… "…Guy huddle!"

Zack spoke first, "What should we go with: Keepin' it real or BS-it?"

"BS-it!" Brad stated.

"Ditto!" As did Wes…

"Honesty's the best course of action." Mike disagreed.

Zack nods, "I agree. Looks like the final decision is up to Hubby!"

Claude frowned, "How did I get stuck with this?"

"Just decide, ya sissy!" Brad silently snapped.

"Fine, let's tell her the truth!"

"Guys!"

Zack sighed at Viki's impatience. "Let's just get on with it." They turned to the girl, "Well…"

"Well what?"

"You know about the saying 'Sweeter than candy,' right?"

"Yeah…"

"Honestly…" Mike looked at the approving faces of the guys. "Let's just say that if there was a competition of the most ruthless, nastiest, scariest being on the planet between you and Casper the friendly ghost… Casper has better odds."

Viki looked down, "Oh… I knew it…"

"What's wrong?" Mike figured Viki would be happy to know that they didn't see her as a mean person.

"Did something happen at ya audition?" Brad asked.

"Well, I did everything right! I gave the right emotions I said my lines correctly…"

"So that should've nailed the part for ya, right?" Wes asked.

"I thought so, but…"

"But what?" Zack asked.

"They said that I was just acting the part of a mean girl!"

"Well… I may not be the best when it comes to the acting world, but isn't that what the script asked for you to do?" Wes asked, slightly confused.

"Yeah, but they said that I was just acting the part of one. They're looking for someone who _was_ one!"

"Oh…"

"Well… Do you know how I can… actually _be_ a mean girl?"

"Being a mean girl?" Zack raised a brow.

"Surely you're joking!" Mike frowned, "You mean you actually want to become one of those snobbish stuck-up girls?"

"Please I'm serious!" Viki's tone was reaching begging territory. "I need to get this done before the callback tomorrow!"

All five boys paused, "...You got a callback?"

Viki nodded, "It's not like I always get one. It's nice to know that I'm good enough to get there. But usually when I do, I manage to fall flat on my face."

"Okay, if you want to be a mean girl, I have two words: Videl Aerith. No doubt the absolute biggest bitch in the universe!"

"Don't start, Zack." Brad warned. Despite this not being the real deal and despite how he felt about her, she was still the mother of his child. "Anyway, just do the opposite of what'cha usually do!"

Mike nodded, "You'll never know the results until you at least give it a shot."

"It's worth a try," Wes added his two cents.

"Just try not to overdo it, okay," Claude warned. She _was_ a mother after all… for this assignment.

Viki nodded, "I'll try, but won't go overboard with it." She knew that she would have to do a few things that she wouldn't necessarily be proud of, but for the sake of the part she would have to just grin and bear it. Hopefully she won't burn too many bridges…

**Space Station: Omega, Outside Planet Syral**

Anna liked Ken…

No, she really liked Ken. She liked him a lot more than his current so-called "girlfriend!" He was handsome, brilliant, cunning, and resourceful. And that was a lot more than she could ever say about that douche in red or that moron in green. Actually, Tony was at least amusing and easy to manipulate when needed. Lex, on the other hand, could just rot for all she cared. However, as much good things he had going for him, the one thing, if anything, that annoyed her was that while he was a genius, it wasn't enough to make up for the fact that he had horrible timing, as in his plans took too long to come full circle. "Even the best-laid plans take time," he would say.

She scoffed at the thought. If there was any word to describe her, "patient" would be the last one. Why take forever coming up with some plan that'd waste so much time when hers could bring just as good if not better results? All she needed to do was take a trip to the R&D lab and she could put her plan to work.

Along with the hissing sound that accompanied the sliding door opening, Anna walked in with a grin on her face. Thinking about all the fun she would have. It didn't take long for her to approach a man dressed in a lab coat over his Syrallian Army uniform. His small wrinkles and graying swept hair hinted his age being in his 40s. "Is it ready Genis?"

He nodded, "The device you've requested has already went through some tests prior to your arrival. I believe you should come towards no problem when in use." He showed a concerned expression, "You do know how much trouble we could get into if the general finds out about this?"

"No need to worry. After I'm done, Pride will be rewarding me greatly after seeing how much damage I can do in less than a day." She couldn't wait to see the look on the rangers' face when they found their own weapons used against them.

**CCU: Stark Building**

"Hey!"

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Viki stopped herself before remembering, "Wait, why should I be sorry! You're the one who got in the way!"

"What!"

"Yeah, you heard me!" Viki frowned, "You're the one who stepped into my walking space, so it's your fault!"

The small Rhynian rabbit-boy rolled his eyes, "Whatever, get some help!"

"Hey, you don't have to be so harsh!" Viki complained!

He scoffed, "Harsh? Look at you!"

"Yeah, I guess I did start it…" Viki looked down in guilt as she then shook her head. "Wait a minute, so what if I did, loser? What'cha gonna do?" However, the boy paid her no heed to her words. She sighed in defeat. That really went well… She soon felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Aw don't look down, Viki," Brad smiled at her, "You'll get better!"

"But that still doesn't make me feel less guilty inside!" She explained, "I'm so ashamed of myself."

"From what, just a 'lil 'ole argument like that?" The Texas-native explained, "Just remember, yer the top dawg here! Everything goes the way you want, like it or not!"

"Everything my way… Got it!" Determination began to grow in Viki's voice.

"An' Ah don' necessarily condone this, but when it comes to it, force is a good way to get yer message 'cross!"

"You mean violence!" Now Viki was concerned. Acting disrespectful was one thing, but actually starting fights? Hello, she wasn't exactly the best fighter if Brad would remember!"

"Not necessarily. Just a good 'ole shove, maybe a punch or two! Just sumthin' to show that ya mean business!"

"…I'm not sure about this." Was Brad crazy? Viki was supposed to be a ranger! She was supposed to protecting people, not starting fights! Maybe Mike had a point about Brad being a warmonger. Then again, he was just offering tips on how to be bad, and starting fights was a bad thing to do, right? She sighed as she closed her eyes, 'It's for the part… It's for the part…'

**CCU, Stark Building Room 214**

"First, I must tell you both how much of good job you both are doing," Miss Connors started with a smile on her face. "During the weekly evaluation periods, your grade is among the highest in all four classes." She then sighed, "However, despite your high marks, you are at a C- at most."

Zack raised a brow, "What!"

Videl shook her head, "You can't be serious?"

"You've provided your child with enough food, enough care, and even going beyond the call of duty at night. But there is one factor that the both of you have overlooked." Miss Connors look became more serious. "Zack, you have shown to be a caring, attentive father…"

Videl scoffed, 'As if…'

"And you Videl, have proved to be a caring mother for your baby."

Now was Zack's turn, 'That'd be the day…'

"While these are what a child needs, these are more meaningful if they are done, _together_!"

"You're kidding me?"

"Say what?"

"The best way for a child to grow up in a nurturing environment is if both parents are involved, as if they were a one big happy family! Right now, yours is as if you have joint custody!"

"So let me get this straight? Are you saying that while we're doing a good job, we're actually _this_ close to failing?"

Connors nodded slightly, "I wouldn't put it that way, but it leaves quite a bit to be desired. I'm hoping to see improvement from the both of you."

Videl scoffed, "Would help if my partner wasn't a slacker."

"What was that?"

"Nothing," She replied, not caring about Zack's glare. It wasn't an insult if it was true, and she was amazed that he somehow managed to find a way to scam his way into an A - _again_. In this case she should at least be thankful. But at any case, however, something needed to change…

**Coast City Park**

"Why should I even bother anymore?" Viki sighed, legs tucked into her chest on the bench as she reflected the day thus far. She tried to be a bad girl, but all she accomplished to do was make everyone angry! She took food off of lunch trays, cut in lines, even verbally-abused a few of her fellow students. But alas, they just ignored her, thought that she was crazy, or just plan needed help! Nobody took her seriously at all! If that was the case, then she could forget about going to the call back, let alone getting the role.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she spotted three Syrallian soldiers moving about as discreetly as possible. 'What're they doing here?' Should she contact Ezekiel? The others? No, there wouldn't be enough time. For all she knew they probably found another Minizord. It was probably better to go at it alone and managing to grab it before the Syrallians than it was to wait and risk losing it.

After leaping off the bench, Viki transformed into a bird as she flew after them while keeping out of sight's distance of course. She had to see what they were up to. Only if it got serious would she call for backup. Right now, this didn't seem to be a problem.

It didn't take too long until she found herself entering a forest. Unfortunately, she managed to lose the soldiers when they split at the three-way fork. As she landed and morphed back, she pondered which direction would be best to go. What if this was just to confuse her, or there were multiple targets? She had to make a decision. She sighed, looks like she would need the others after all.

"Hmm… Aren't we nosy?"

Viki froze as she looked around for the source of the voice, knowing exactly who it was. "Anna…"

"Aww… Poor widdle girl all alone! Aw by herself!" She taunted, leaning against the tree. "I've been waiting for you…"

"Waiting for me?"

"That's right!" Anna's tone became serious. "It's time to settle this once and for all!" At this time, a soldier snuck up behind Viki, carrying a black rifle-like device. "Last time, we were interrupted by Blue Boy! Now it'll be just you and me."

"Here we go again…" Viki noticed Anna removing her morpher. "What are you-"

She scoffed as she discarded it, "You actually think that I need my morpher to beat _you_?" She saw the soldier moving closer in position. Yes, it was working…

"Aren't you a bit overconfident?" Viki warned. Anna may've had the upper hand the last time they met, but this time she was ready for her.

"Not at all!" Anna grin grew wider, "Especially knowing what you just gotten yourself into."

"What are ya-" Viki leaped backwards to evade the duo tackling of the soldiers, who collided with each other. "You'll have to do better than that!"

"Actually I was counting on the sniping shot."

"What?" Before she could react, she felt her body become numb. She couldn't move an inch! She couldn't even feel anything at all! "Wh-what is this?"

"Don't worry, Little Girl!" The pink enforcer informed, reaching inside of her jacket, "It'll all be over in a flash…"

Viki tried to move desperately, but her body would not respond. What was this that they shot at her? All of a sudden, her eyelids became heavier, and heavier, until they covered her eyes completely, leaving the Pink Enforcer the last thing she saw…

…

…

"Wha-what happened?"

Viki eyes opened, but something was wrong. Seriously wrong. She found herself in a jet-black holding cell, obviously a prisoner, but that wasn't what especially worried her. She felt strange, her voice sounded a bit off. Was her throat sore? Just what happened to her anyway? She soon noticed a few strands of her hair. Since when were they curly? She looked down at what she was wearing. She saw herself wearing a black and pink uniform. 'No…'

"Aww… Looks like the little girl has finally woken up!"

Viki blinked at the sound. That sounded like her voice, but how? She didn't say a word at all! She looked through the red energy bars as she was in a shock. It was her! But how, she was right here, was she? Dread quickly filled her face as she quickly turned to the mirror. Waist-length, bleach blonde curly hair… 'No…' Green eyes… 'How?'

"Hope you like the new makeover!" She heard her own voice taunt. Now it was becoming clear. That shot from earlier! That must've done something! "You should feel honored to have such beauty, while I have to torture myself with your pathetic looks!"

"How did you-"

"Trade bodies with me?" Anna finished, examining her –_Viki's_ body. "While the blast was what knocked you out! It was this device…" She held up a small, navy-colored blaster, "That made it possible for our little exchange. And now that it's done, I think I'm going to take a small trip to Sigma HQ. I shouldn't have much problem, seeing as I don't look as suspicious as you do…_now_!

Viki snapped, "You won't get away with this!"

Anna scoffed, "Umm… I think I've already have! I mean even in the very unlikely chance you do escape, who are your- I'm sorry… Who are _my_ friends going to believe?"

Viki saw Anna pull out her – Viki's – morpher as well as a key card. Within a quick swipe, she instantly morphed into the Pink Sigma Ranger. "I'm the Pink Ranger! Aspiring actress, shape shifter, and all around good girl! _You_, on the other hand, are Anna Faye! Pink Enforcer of the Syrallian Army, and all around…" She smirked, "Well, let's just say that you wouldn't be my preferred company!"

"Viki" proceeded to place the gun on the desk nearby. "It was fun talking to ya, but I have some 'friends' to meet." She waved, "See you later, _Pink Enforcer_!"

"NO!" Viki tried to rush after the body snatcher, but the bars just electrocuted her back. She collapsed on the ground, defeated. Her body was stolen from her, let alone her morpher, she was going to miss the callback, and Anna was already on her way back to Earth. Hopefully the guys could figure out that fake before she could do any major damage.

**CCU Student Union**

"A'right, this time yer rackin' 'em!" Brad declared as Mike chalked his cue. Let's see him try to get them all in one go! There was no way he was losing to him today!

"If you insist…" Mike examined the distance between the cue ball and the other balls before proceeding to take his shot. 'This should do…' With a focus shot from his cue, the blank ball shot forward, proceeding to knock the lined balls into a different direction. Within moments, five of the balls had already dropped into the pockets.

Wes sighed, "Oh not again…" Luckily he wasn't the one who was playing.

Mike proceeded to take his second shot, aiming for the 5-ball near the left side pocket. As he shot slightly on the left side of the cue-ball, it shot forward, taping the 5-ball into the pocket, but also causing a chain reaction with four more solid-colored balls, hitting three more into the pockets.

"That's it, that boy's gotta be cheatin'!" Brad crossed his arms. It hasn't been his turn yet, and already Mike managed to knock all of his balls in! Now the 8- ball was all that was left for him to hit!

"Dear me… Looks like this little game's over!" Sarcasm was obvious in his voice as Mike proceeded to knock the 8-ball effortlessly, much to the ire of the green ranger.

"Aw Ah can't believe this!" Brad angrily slammed a $50 onto the table. He didn't even get a chance to hit any of his in.

Wes held up his hands, "I'm out!"

Mike eyes widened, "So soon?"

Brad placed away his cue, "Ah ain't rich, man!"

"True that…" Wes froze before cupping an ear. "Uh oh…"

"S'wrong?" Brad walked over.

"You seen yo girl lately, Dawg?"

"Not since this mornin', why?"

"You'll see in a few seconds." Wes sighed as sounds of yelling can be heard.

Brad and Mike looked towards the entrance as a few girls seemed to be arguing with a particular one…

"What's your problem?" A brunette girl glaringly asked.

"Hey, not my fault you can't even keep your belongings in check." Viki said offhandedly, basically ignoring the girls.

"That doesn't give you the right to just take it!"

Another, shorter brunette added, "My mother gave me that necklace, give it back!"

"Maybe your mother shouldn't have given that to you!" Viki glanced at the two, "Amongst other things…"

"Who died and made you queen?"

Viki raised an eyebrow, "You gotta problem with it?" She challenged, "Then do something about it! Gain some courage and just try to take it back! I dare ya!"

The first brunette rolled her eyes, "Is that supposed to threaten us?"

The blonde then sighed, "No, not really… This on the other hand…" She instantly morphed into a Lioness as she roared in their faces, forcing them to run.

"What's wrong with you?"

"She's crazy!"

Morphing back, Viki chuckled, "You better run." As she looked down at the heart-like diamond necklace, she let out a smile. Not bad of a find now, wasn't it?

"What the Sam Hell was that all 'bout?" Brad asked as he, Mike, and Wes walked over.

Viki waved off, "Oh nothing! Just a little woman-to-woman talk, that's all!"

Wes was unconvinced, "Are you sure that's it? They did look kinda upset." He noticed the accessory in her hand, "That's a nice necklace you got there. Kinda like the one Samantha Stevens always wears."

"It's not my fault. She had it lying around by itself, I found it I liked it I kept it. So what?"

"You stole it from her, that's what!" Mike couldn't believe what he was hearing! "Do you know how much trouble you can get into?"

"Hey, if she would've better kept track of her stuff, none of this would've happened!"

"That's beside the point! The fact is that you took something that wasn't yours, let alone a sentimental gift! Give it back to her at once!"

"Fine, fine… I'll give it back to her, whatever!"

As she walked away, Wes turned to the two, "What's gotten into her!"

Brad was still in shock, "Ah gave her sum advice, but Ah didn't think she'd take it that far! Who knew she had it in her?"

"You two may find this amusing, but I don't!" Mike crossed his arms, "And I doubt that she's just doing this for a part!"

"You got'a point, but seriously who knew?

Viki walked towards the door, scoffing at what they wanted her to do. They actually wanted her to give back this wonderful necklace to Mommy's Girl? Like hell that was going to happen! But back to business, she had find Sigma HQ. That would be easy… had she remember to actually get that information first before switching bodies! Oh well, she can handle that later. Right now, she can just relax for a while. After all, it's not that they suspect anything… much.

"Hey Viki!"

"What?" She snapped as she turned to the idiot who decided to bother her.

"Whoa, take it easy!" Claude was shocked by her outburst, trying to make sure the baby stays safe. "I was just about to give Allie to you. But seeing you like this…"

She groaned, "You got to be kidding me!" She had to deal with a baby now? She waved her hands, "I don't think so…"

"Come on, Viki! I have band practice in like 30 minutes! I thought you would love to-"

Viki cut him off, "Ah-ah-ah, I got things to do!"

"But this is a group assignment!" Claude explained. "This is supposed to be about compromise! I've been watching her all day long and all I'm asking you is to-!"

"Okay okay fine!" Viki took…more like snatch the baby as Allie began to cry! She already had enough problems without having to deal with this. As she saw through the eyes of this… this thing, it began to cry even more. "To hell with this…"

Claude thankfully took Allie back in his arms, "What the hell has gotten into you, Viki?" Did something happen to her or what? Viki loved Allie and really thought that she was her mother. Now she was ready to punt her away like a football? Since when did she turn out to be such a… Such a bitch?

She waved off, "Whatever! I'm like so over this!"

"What's with her?" Claude watched her leave before walking into the building. He saw Brad, Mike, and Wes at a table refreshing themselves with strawberry smoothies. He sighed as he took a seat, "How are things on your end?"

Mike noted Claude's negative tone, "Let me guess. You've talked to Viki?"

"You guys got any idea what's gotten into her? I mean she was just about to punt Allie all the way to the Red Lion dorm."

The blue ranger's eyes widen, "You're joking."

"I'm serious! It's like she did a 180 out of nowhere! I don't know what to think or do!"

"We're in the same place as you are." Wes explained, "She even jacked Sammy's necklace."

Brad nodded, "Yeah, an' Ah don' think s'all for a part anymore!"

Mike whispered to Brad, "I wonder if Syral's behind this."

"Wouldn't be surprised if they'd pull such tactics, but we can't be too sure."

"What does Syral have to do with Viki?" Wes asked.

Both boys stiffened. For one second, they forgot about Wes's enhanced senses.

"Oh nothing! It's just those ships that attacked about a month ago. They looked like Syrallian ships, right?" Mike asked.

Wes nodded slowly, "Yeah…"

"So there's a chance that they're probably kidnapping students and replacing them with Syrallian spies!"

"They're probably plannin' a takeover just like they did at Vanicoor," Brad added.

"I think you guys watched too many Sci-Fi movies," Wes stated.

"While reports are saying Syral's involved, this does sound too weird," Claude agreed.

'That was a close one.' Mike was relieved. It was that one moment that their cover would've been blown. The last thing they needed was people, let alone their friends finding out that they were rangers.

**Wolf Blue Dorm – Viki's Room**

As she let out a groan of frustration, Anna threw another pair of flower-print jeans across the room as she continued her search. "Christ, another one!" She needed to be careful. She already made a few people suspicious, including the two ranger , it was best to keep a low-profile until her appearance was required such as, say, to appear at Sigma HQ. Then she could do some real damage. When she got into her room, the first thing she decided to do was to change out of these hideous clothes. She may have had to keep appearances to make sure things were in the norm, but that didn't mean she'd have to wear this travesty.

However, her search for "suitable" attire wasn't working out so well. "CHRIST, DOESN'T SHE HAVE _ANYTHING_ THAT'S NOT PINK!" Finding the right outfit was easier said than done. Note to self, if there was a rare chance that "Anna" showed up, give her a hard knocks lesson in fashion. At least get something in black, or if you have to have pink at least have it in a style that's not so… Junior High. Granted she liked the color pink, as well as it was her enforcer color, but that didn't mean that she lived the color. However, through her relentless search, a familiar silver squirrel made its escape through the cracked window, sensing that something was definitely wrong with its owner.

**Space Station: Omega – Containment Area**

Viki was trapped.

Her knees tucked in, she pondered over her current situation. She was stuck in the Syrallian's Space Station, imprisoned, and worst of all, she was Anna now. Somehow, Anna got some device that caused them both to switched bodies. Now she would end up missing her callback. And it was so nice for her to finally get one after countless disappointments at castings.

She shook her head. This was the wrong time to be thinking about movie roles. Much more was at stake. With her body in Anna's hands, there was no telling what she could do, let alone the amount of trouble she'll bring her in the long run. She had to get out of here! She had to warn the others! But how, was the question.

Using her powers was out. Otherwise, she could transform into an elephant to break through the bars, regardless of how much voltage she'd receive, but not with this body. All she could do at best was her... Anna's Psychic Illusion, but that was useless in freeing her. She didn't even have any gear for her to use! It would've been nice for Anna to at least leave her morpher on her body instead of discarding it.

Viki wondered what was going to happen to her. Would Zack, Brad, Mike, and Ezekiel realize what's going on? Would they even notice that she was gone? Tears began to pour from her eyes. Just what would they plan to do to her when Anna got back? Was it just a matter of time? Was it really pointless to resist? She shook her head. She had to stop crying, as it wasn't going to do her any good. She had to think of something, she had to find some way to get out of here, out of Omega.

"Heeeeeeeey! Annie!"

She didn't need to look up, as she knew that voice. That manic tone of voice, that psychotic presence that he had! The last thing she needed to do was to let him distract her. Zack and the others weren't here to help her out this time. Nobody would be helping her this time. She would have to find a way out of here on her own.

"Annie…" Tony called again, "Annie!" Still no response! Was something wrong? "Annie! Ollie-ollie-oxen-free! Hey, are you okay?"

"Does it look like I'm okay to you?" She snapped. "I'm now stuck in this stupid cell!"

"Wow… How in the blue blazes did this happen to ya?"

'He thinks that I'm Anna!' This was her chance, if any, to get free. As long as Tony believed that she was Anna, and not Viki in Anna's body, she would have a shot at getting back to Earth on time. But in order to pull it off, she would have to be believable. Within a sigh, Viki prepared to play a role that may decide the fate of not only her life, but everyone else's. "These stupid Sy-Bots threw me in there! Damn malfunctioning piles of junk…"

Tony stroked his chin, "Hmm… Kenny did mention that there were a few more bugs in their programming…"

"Just get me out of here!"

"Okay, but this is very unbecoming of an enforcer…" Within a few strokes of the number keys on the lock, the door instantly slid open. "Tada!"

'So far so good…' Viki walked out from the cell as she grabbed the gun-like device on the table. "Let's go Tony!"

"Go? To where?" He noticed, "Hey, what's that thing ya go there?"

"Just a simple device I wanted to try out. And those damn bots swiped my morpher, as well! We're going to get it back before Lex gets on my case about it - _again_!"

"Naahh, I don't think Lexie-Boy's like that." Tony assured, "He may be a bit of a hardass, but he's a'ight!"

"I'm not taking that risk! I'm heading down to Earth, with or without you!" She stated much to the green enforcer's chagrin.

"Alright alright… Wait up…" Tony rushed after her. While this whole affair did seem to be very sudden, he supposed it couldn't be all that bad. Besides, maybe this could be a chance to get a kiss from her. She _was_ quite the hottie, after all…

**Wolf Blue Dorm**

Just when he thought that he was doing the right thing, it turned out that it was the opposite. Zack thought that if he could just take care of the baby, while seeing little of Videl as much as possible, he could get an A without losing his insanity just by dealing with her. However, thanks to Miss Connors, now he'd have to spend even more time with her. Terrific indeed! He almost wished Pride or the enforcers would attack so he'd at least have something to vent out his frustrations on.

With a sigh, Zack pressed a button as the channel changed. TV was usually one way to forget about one's stress as it was easy for one to lose oneself in interesting TV shows, sometimes movies. It wasn't long before he felt the remote snatched from his hand, "Rude much?"

Viki ignored Zack's protest as she switched the channel. "Anything on?"

"No really," Zack replied, still taken back from her behavior. Granted she'd often snatch the remote from him, but not as hard as she did. Did someone make her angry today or what? "So how did it go?"

Viki raised an eyebrow, "How did what go?"

"You know the callback you had to go to? How did the audition go?"

"Audition?" She froze for a moment. That was probably what Viki was supposed to do today, but she didn't even think about any audition. She decided that it was best to just lie about it before nodding, "Oh that… I went there, I aced it, but then it still wasn't enough!"

"What do you mean by that?" This was starting to sound suspicious. If she did ace the audition, she should've gotten the part. But why didn't she this time?

"It's all about image these days! How you look, how tall you are, how big your tits are and all that! You know how fucking annoying this is? To know that you're the best of the bunch but still turned down because you don't have a certain look?"

"So, if they're like that, then working with them is obviously not a good career move! Do you really want to work for people like them?"

"It's my ticket to the big time! It's like no matter what I do I always seem to get the short end of the stick!"

Zack just nodded, feeling he could relate to always doing as best as possible and still not being good enough. His past relationships with the opposite sex could be one, a most recent one his project with a certain 115-pound pain-in-the-ass. Speaking of which, "So, how's Allie coming along?"

Viki raised a brow, "Allie?"

"Yeah, the baby you have for a few weeks for a project?"

"Oh, you mean that project with…what's his name?"

"Claude!" Zack's eyes began to narrow. Something was amiss. First, Viki was angry. Okay, so people can get angry, but she never got this angry. Maybe it was just stress. Second, she didn't even remember Allie or Claude, the guy she's had a crush on since he's known her. Granted, it wasn't that long, but from how much she talked about him you'd think her crush has been forever.

Anna soon felt a hand on her forehead, "Umm…what are you doing?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm just a little stressed out, alright?"

"Yeah, I can relate to being stressed out." Zack sighed, "Especially having to work with a total pain-in-the-ass."

"I hear ya…" Anna thoughts began to head towards Lex and his demanding ways. His arrogance and downright inconsideration always got under her skin. Yeah, her Kenny was like that at times, but at least it wasn't so blatant!

"Always nagging…"

"Never showing you any respect…"

"Always love to hear themselves talk…"

"Never knowing when to get over themselves…"

"They can't respect anyone…"

"They can't consider anyone else's feelings…" Anna blinked, realizing that she was losing herself. Talking to Red here wasn't the plan, let alone actually having a conversation with him! Then again, this was just leisure time so it wouldn't be that bad. Besides, at least he wasn't acting suspicious like his pals were. Nevertheless, it was best to just wing it. "So what're ya watching?"

"Nothing really… Just surfing through a few channels here and there…" Zack sighed, "Probably gonna take a nap soon. Damn kid kept me up all night…"

"Why do we have to do this hellish assignment?"

He let out a small smirk from hearing the question he's been asking lately, from _Viki_ of all people no less, "Because teachers hate us!" Maybe it was because he was too tired to care, but Zack didn't truly notice that Viki, Miss "Mother of the Year," was actually becoming sick of this assignment. She could've just cracked and couldn't take it anymore, he'd figured.

"There we go!" Anna finally found a channel she liked as she watched on the screen as two guys wrestled each other over a golden spear in Zero Gravity. "Oh yeah, let's see some real action!"

If anything, _that_ surely got Zack's attention, "You do know that you're watching Battle Royale XXIV, right?"

"Duh, I've been waiting to see this for a week! Hopefully that idiot Paul gets eliminated finally! Sexist twit…"

"But that's a reality TV show!" Zack explained.

"Yeah… So what's your point?"

Zack did plan on taking a nap, but from what he was witnessing, Viki laying on the love seat actually watching this in anticipation was a red flag. Why did he have to take her to the Anime Expo in order to make it up to her again? Who knew, maybe she came around and decided to give Reality TV a chance. He then yawned, "I'm gonna take a nap for a while!"

"Yeah, you go on and do that…" Anna smiled, 'Better for me to take you out…'

"Let me know when something's up…" Before Zack's eyes could close, he felt a vibration on his leg as he groaned, "Whaaaaat…" He took out his cellular as he checked the caller ID. "S'up?"

"_We need to talk!"_

"Can't this wait till later?"

"_No, this is serious! …It's about Viki."_

Zack glanced over towards Viki, who had since slipped out of her ballet flats and is now curling her toes on the seat of the couch. Seeing that she was relaxed, Zack decided to "move" to someplace more comfortable for this conversation. From near the stairs, he looked at her before responding, "What about her?'

Mike asked, "_Don't you think she's been acting a bit…odd lately?"_

"Dude, she's actually watching a reality TV show. Of course she's acting weird. But I think she's just stressed out from the assignment. The fact that she got dropped after doing well at her audition for her not looking the part really set her off. She went on a tirade and everything!"

"_You want to know what else? Earlier, she stole Samantha's necklace, and what's worse: She almost kicked her and Claude's child –_ intentionally_!"_

Zack's eyes widened in shocked, "Red…flag!"

"_Something clearly is amiss with Viki! We need to meet!"_

"Knowing what we do now, are you sure it's a good idea to leave her alone?" Zack watched as he saw Viki cursing at the TV, bringing the receiver towards the direction for Mike to hear.

"_We need to let Ezekiel know about this! For all we know Viki could've been exposed to a personality-altering rock or something just as heinous."_

"He'd probably know what's up." Zack was interrupted as he felt a creature running up his jeans, "What are you doing here?"

The silver squirrel, showing an expression of distress, squeaked frantically. Zack couldn't understand, but he had a hunch that it probably had something to do with Viki.

"_Zack, are you still there? Zack!"_

He answered, "I just ran into her Minizord, and it's pretty freaked out. That settles it! Something's clearly wrong with her! You get in touch with Ezekiel! I'll keep an eye on our girl here!"

"_Agreed… If Viki's under something, it's best that we get to the bottom of this quickly!"_

"Let's just hope that we can resolve this before the Ultimas get word of this!" The last thing they needed was for them to exploit this sudden event to their favor. As Zack moved back over, she saw that the once-vacated couch was now empty. "Crap, she probably heard us…"

"_Now I'm even more suspicious. We need to find Viki, now!"_

"And where's Brad."

"_He's occupying Claude and Wes."_ Mike let out a sigh, _"We almost blew it right there…"_

"I'll go on ahead. If any of you see her, let everyone know and we'll move in on your position."

"_Agreed,"_ Mike sighed, _"This is not the time for us to be having an identity crisis."_

**Outside of Earth**

"Ninety-nine bottles of rum on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of rum! You take one down and pass one around, ninety-nine bottles of rum on the wall! Ninety-eight bottles of rum on the wall, ninety-eight bottles of rum! You take one down and pass one around, ninety-eight bottles of rum on the wall!"

Viki sighed, trying her best not to bang her head onto the control console. Of all the enforcers she could've paired up with, it just had to be the one with the worst signing voice she's had the displeasure of witnessing. Though, he did have his heart in the right place. After all, he was the one who offered to help her retrieve her… Anna's morpher! Now that she thought about it, Tony was probably the best choice.

"Aw, what's wrong? Don't tell me you're still down about your morpher!"

Viki crossed her arms, still keeping up the façade, "Kinda hard not to when knowing that it could possibly be destroyed by those damn bots or God forbid being in the hands of the rangers."

Tony shook his head, "Oh Annie, Annie, Annie… You're focusing on the negatives, not even thinking about the positives! Let alone if the rangers get their hands on it!"

"What's so great about that?"

"Apparently somebody wasn't paying attention during a briefing one day," Tony teased. "What's so sweet about our Ultima Morphers is that they contain a GPS – That's Global Positioning System for all you stupid people out there! So if the rangers are stupid enough to even try to rip off our gear, they're just begging for some houseguests if ya know what I'm saying!"

She let out a devious grin, "Oh ho… I actually want the rangers to get my morpher now! Then we can finish them off on their home turf!"

"But don't you want to wait for everyone else?" Tony asked. Pride had always taught him that it was best to be a team player, or tried to at least. Granted, at times he may go crazy and went on a rampage, including attacking his own teammates, but that wasn't the issue!

"Tony, do we really have to wait for Lex and the others?" Viki stroked under his chin. This could also serve as another opportunity for her. With Anna in possession of her morpher, it was best to get Anna's if she wanted a chance to get her body back. But at the same time, she could try to cause some problems within the ranks. It would at least make the rangers' job a bit easier.

"Five enforcers are better than two!"

"So what? Tony, don't tell me that you're underestimating yourself?"

"Who's underestimating anybody? I just want to use the good ole' teamwork! It's what's missing these days…"

"We can work together! C'mon, you don't really think that Lex of all people could be trusted or actually really cares about us!"

"Y'don't know Lexie like I do! Sure he can be a bit…okay, he is a big pain in the ass! But it's not like he'll ditch ya!"

"Yeah right…"

"You'll see how uber cool he is soon enough!"

"But think about this: Do you know Lex has your back? For all we know he could be talking trash to the General behind your back right now while trying to secure himself a new promotion!"

Tony pondered for a moment, "Nah, I'm not interested in the high-ranking stuff! As long as I got some guns, I'm cool!"

"But what if the higher-ranks have all the better, newer guns that can make those awesome cool explosions?"

"…" Tony's eyes narrowed, "Yeah, screw 'em! We can do this by ourselves!"

As she felt the shuttle's speed increase, Viki had to let out a smile. She wasn't sure if it was just for the moment or – in 10,000-to-1 chance – if he really did convince him to be more doubtful of his allies, but at least Tony ditched his teamwork talk. Anna's morpher was her best chance at getting her body back and she wanted to get rid of any worse-case scenarios.

**CCU: Courtyard**

As she ran as fast as she could, Anna cursed at herself. She just had to relax and let her down guard and she already made Red suspicious. And the fact that he was talking to the others made things too risky to stay (Zack actually teleported away just for a phone call! Did he think she was stupid?).

Anna scoffed, "Duh…" Now how did that little girl do it? As she closed her eyes, she began to think, imagine, and transform. Within seconds, her eyes opened as she found herself soaring upward into the sky, passing a certain green ranger, who failed to notice the insect flying above him.

Brad pulled out his cell phone, "Nah, she ain't here!"

"_Damn… We better find her fast!"_ Zack warned, _"I got a bad feeling about this."_

"How's Mike doin' on his end?"

"_Nothing!"_

"An' you?"

"_No dice!"_

"Damn, where could she be?"

"_Knowing what she's capable of? Anywhere! Be very careful!"_

Within break of their connection, Brad resumed his search. Little did he know, he had obtained an unknown insect companion that was currently crawling up the leg of his jeans…

**CCU: Justice Theatre**

"You haven't seen Viki around here, have you?" Mike asked a group of young girls, a small smile on his lips.

"No…" A red haired Lorecorian responded.

"Haven't seen her!" A brunette Rhynian rabbit-girl replied.

"Not sure if I even want to…" An ebony-haired Rhynian wolf girl responded, "Have you seen the way that girl's been acting lately? She even stole Sam's necklace."

"Precisely why I need to find her," Mike sighed, "We really need to have a long talk with that girl…" He pulled out his cell phone, "Brad, you found anything?"

"_Hell naw! She basically dropped off the face of the earth! An' Zack's not havin' any luck, either!"_

"Well this has all been for naught." He turned to see that the girls resumed to their discussion about boys and the new play they were working on. He didn't want to nearly screw up the same way he did earlier. "Let's meet back at HQ and regroup!"

"_Already 'head of ya! Zack an' Ah're headin' there now!"_

"Acknowledged… Let's get to the bottom of this mess."

**Coast City: Location Undisclosed**

"Okay, everyone here?" Zack asked, as Brad looked around.

"Pretty boy ain't here yet!" Brad scratched his head, "Damn, what's wit' this itch?"

"Need better shampoo?"

"Not'a chance!" Brad continued to scratch. If he didn't know any better, he'd sworn it was a mosquito trying to suck as much blood from him as possible.

"Gentlemen…" Mike quickly moved over to the other two rangers.

"Now we're all here, let's see if we can get some help." Zack used the communication function of his Morpher, "Ezekiel, did you manage to find Viki?"

"_Precisely."_ He explained, _"By tracking her morpher's energy signal, I have managed to pinpoint her location."_

"So where is she?"

"She's right near you."

"What?" The three boys were astonished. How could Viki be nearby? Otherwise they would've found her. It wasn't as if she was hard to find… at least until now…

"_Viki is exactly at your location."_

"Dang gnat…" Brad knocked off the irritating insect off of his neck to the ground. As he was about to stomp it, that insect began to change. "Sam hell?" The bug grew in size as Brad soon found himself floored with a leg sweep!

Mike blinked, "Viki!"

Zack couldn't believe it, "What the hell gives!" Since when did Viki struck someone down, let alone with a well-executed leg sweep? That settled it! Whoever she was, she sure as hell wasn't Viki Highwind. The glare she was giving only supported his conclusion.

She spat, "What was I supposed to do, let Green Boy here smash me?"

"…Alright, who are you?"

She blinked, "W-what are you talking about?"

"Don't try to take us for fools!" Mike warned, "You've stolen a necklace, nearly punted your own child…"

"Not to mention actually watching a reality TV show," Zack added.

"Come clean, or we'll crush ya," Brad warned, ready for payback for that cheap shot…

Viki found herself surrounded. The three boys were looking for answers and weren't in the mood for games. She let out a sadistic smirk. There was no use of playing games. "I have to give you three your props. I thought you'd never figured it out by now! Then again, tricking that little girl was too easy!"

"'Little girl?'" Mike narrowed his eyes, remembering when they first met. There was only one person who taunted Viki the way she usually did. This clearly explains her behavior now. "_Anna_…"

"I guess that makes you the smart one, huh Blue Boy?" Viki…or rather Anna responded. "I was hoping to get into your base, but obviously that's so not going to happen now."

"Ya damn right, it ain't!" Now that he knew that it was Anna, who somehow managed to swap bodies with Viki, Brad was ready to pound this deviant diva into submission.

"Wait Brad!" Zack reminded, "Anna or not, that's still Viki's body!"

"Good move, Red! It would be a shame something happen to your loli-friend's body!"

"What have you done with her?"

"Oh nothing, really! Only put her on the smallest stage Omega has to offer: Solitary Confinement! Too bad there's no one around that can help her!" She laughed, "It's been fun, Rangers."

Brad cracked his knuckles, "You think we're gon' let you escape?"

"Actually well… Yeah, I'm going to escape."

"Like hell we'll let that happen!"

"Like hell you have a choice!" Within that moment, Anna transformed into a huge dragon as she released a large stream of fire towards the rangers' way. When the smoke cleared, the rangers were gone. Satisfied, the dragon proceeded to fly away. Her mission may've been a failure, but at least she managed to scorch those ranger boys…

**Sigma HQ**

"Good call on that save, Zack," Brad sighed in relief as the boys picked themselves from the ground, managing to dodge that fire blast, "Since when can Viki do that?"

"Remind me not to get on Viki's bad side." Zack turn to Ezekiel, "Have you-"

"Way ahead of you…" Ezekiel examined the radar screen for the pink morpher's location. "Your first priority is to find Viki and Anna. Then we can worry about switching their bodies back."

Mike nodded, "With Anna in full control of Viki's powers, who knows what kind of damage she can do?"

"Anna probably knows how to use that morpher, so be prepared for a difficult battle."

Brad crossed his arms, "Ah can't believe that Viki's capable of actually whuppin' our hides!" Who knew that Viki had the potential to actually be a power house!

"Fighting may not seem natural to her, but don't underestimate her abilities," Ezekiel warned. "She may even surprise you one day."

"We can talk about Viki's potential when she gets back here." Zack reminded, "We have an enforcer to hunt. Let's roll out!"

**Coast City Park**

"Are you sure that it's around here?" Viki asked, skeptical. She knew that it had to be around this area as Anna did discard it here. But for believability and authenticity's sake, she had to act as if she hasn't been here.

"GPS never lie, Annie," Tony proclaimed excitedly! "I wouldn't know where I'd be without this beautiful system! It's like the perfect girlfriend I never had."

"Riiight…"

As he looked on the radar installed on his morpher, Tony chuckled with excitement. "Ooooh, we're getting warmer. Much warmer… Oh, it's getting hot in here! We're bout t-" Tony felt wobbly before collapsing onto the ground.

A gun in her hand held by the barrel, Viki looked downward at the now-unconscious enforcer. It was underhanded, but she couldn't risk Tony finding out that she wasn't really Anna. She saw the coordinates towards the Ultima Morpher. It was just at jogging distance. The sooner she could use the morpher, the better chance she could have against her. Hopefully, she wasn't too late…

…

Anna ran as fast as she could. That fire blast should've scorched them, but she couldn't be too sure. Besides, she had to get back to Omega before the general, Lex, and the others realized she was gone. So much for scoring bonus points with Pride.

Mike jumped down in front of her, "Leaving so soon?"

She turned tail to another direction to escape Blue Boy. So much for scorching them… However, she was met with another one of the annoying rangers…

"Ain't nowhere to run," Brad declared.

Anna turned to another direction for another chance at escape. What animal she could turn into that'll finish them once and for all. Dragon would take up too much energy. Same with T-Rex, but at least Dragon had fire to work with.

"Game over! Just give up!" Now it was Zack's turn to get in her way. Within moments, once again, Anna found herself surrounded.

"Time to get serious!" Zack turned to Brad, then to Mike before raising his morpher, "Let's end this quickly! READY!"

"READY!"

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

'Fine with me…' Anna raised "her" morpher before instantly morphing into the Pink Ranger. "This should be enough to finish you."

"Not likely!" Zack pointed towards their target, "Take her down!"

Anna braced for battle as the rangers begun their assault. With a few dodged kicks from Zack, hard punches from Brad, and a mixture of both from Mike, Anna seemed to be able to hold her own.

She blocked Brad's punch, before flipping herself onto his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his head, "I can snap your neck now if I wanted you."

"Snap this!" Anna flipped off of Brad, narrowly managing to dodge the blast from Zack's Sigma Blaster. Speaking of the red ranger, she found herself knocked down by a leg sweep. "Just give it up!"

"So not!" Anna rolled back to her feet before pulling out a Sigma Blaster of her own, "Let me show you how to really use a gun, Noob!"

"CARD 1, EXECUTE!" Within quick strikes reacting to the sound, Zack quickly managed to deflect the blasts with his Flare Katana, "Who's the Noob?"

Letting out a silent growl, Anna thought about what other weapons she could use against them. However, before she could pull off an attack, she was blindsided by a hard fist – literally!

Brad hooked his arms under hers to restrain Anna, "What'd ya dun' with Viki?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" A smile formed under her helmet as Anna went _low_, painfully forcing Brad to release her…

Mike scoffed in disgust, "Typical Anna…" He aimed his Hydro shield towards her before releasing a gushing stream of water after her. However, Anna just spun as a gust formed around her. Leaving the stream of water to reflect and splash away in various directions. Much to his chagrin, "Damn, every second she's learning more how to utilize Viki's powers."

"This is BS…" Brad spat, having since recovered from the low blow, "Y'mean anyone can learn how to use our powers?"

"Apparently so, and from what we've witness thus far, who knows what else she has at her disposal." The thought of Anna discovering more of the pink ranger powers scared him. She's already used her powers in a way neither of them have ever seen Viki use them.

Zack swung one of his Flare Katana at Anna, who managed to dodge with a kick of her own. Course, he had to admit, seeing Anna using Viki's powers can put things in a new perspective. If this is what Viki was capable of… Again, always stay on her good side.

With a few back flips, Anna stood on top of a platform. "Is this the best Earth has against us?" She taunted, "After all that, you can't even beat one measly girl like me! Pathetic rangers…" As she gloated, she was soon struck from behind with a familiar looking shield.

The three rangers noticed Anna fall as they turned to the source of the attack... Zack was the first to notice, "That's…"

Brad couldn't believe his eyes, "Well Ah'll be…"

"This should make things easier," Mike mused. He never thought he'd be glad to see an Ultima Enforcer.

Anna recovered as she turned to her attacker, hands balling up tightly. It was her! Or rather _her_ powers! _Her_ Ultima Shield! And what was most infuriating of all was that _she_ was using them! "But how!"

"One: You shouldn't abandon your morpher so recklessly! And two: When you morph? Make sure that the enemy isn't around to learn how to activate said morpher!" The pink enforcer taunted, placing her index finger under her chin to feign cluelessness, "How did the words go again? 'Ultima Transform?'"

"Tch, any loser can get any morpher! But you don't even know how to use any of my powers, while I on the other hand proved that I'm better with your own powers than you ever were!"

"Actually, you're the loser since you have to switch bodies! And honestly Anna! Why is it that nearly every part of your body's fake? I mean really, hair extensions? That's like so lame!"

"IT'S JUST FOR VOLUME!" She snapped. So what if Anna wore extensions, she still looked hell of a lot better than that little girl!

"And now you're making excuses!" Viki looked down at the taser-like device in her hand before tossing it over towards the other rangers.

Mike caught the device, "What on Earth?"

"Just hold on to it, trust me!"

Having had enough words, Anna seethed, "Let's just do this already!"

"Fine by me!" Drawing out her – Anna's – Ultima Blaster, Viki rushed towards the wench who stole her body from her. 'Time to see what these Ultima powers can do!'

"Like hell you're beating me!" With the Sigma blaster, Anna unleashed a barrage of blasts as Viki managed to dodge out of the way before returning the favor. After about a minute of rapid gunfire, the two decided to go for a more physical approach as punches and kicks are exchanged.

As Anna flipped back, avoiding a high kick from her opponent, 'Time to kick this up a notch.'

'I'll get my body back…' Viki vowed, determined. She'd more than likely missed her audition because of this mess. Who knew what other kinds of trouble Anna got her into!

"_Rangers! I've done some research on Viki's situation!"_ Ezekiel explained through their communicators. _"The device you're holding is what Anna used to initiate the switch!"_

Mike asked, "So how are we supposed to get her back?"

"_From what I've discovered, you'll have to shoot both of them with the small darts. Then you have to initiate the switch. Be warned that it only has enough power for two shots. Otherwise, you will have to wait for a while as it recharges."_

"We don't have that luxury to wait," Zack declared. They would have to make those shots count…

"Hurricane Flash!" A barrier of wind circled around her as the leaves and branches brushed together fiercely from the wind. 'Let's see how she likes having her attacks used against her.'

'Now how did she do it again?' Viki was ready to fight her off. She would be damned if this fake, body-snatching witch actually beat her! Not to mention with her own attack… **"Ultima Aero Blitz!"** Within a leap in the air, with a surge of energy around her, Viki dived towards the impostor, looking to break her barrier. Of course, this would be bittersweet! If she can break her own barrier, that would mean Anna could possibly can! Just one more thing to worry about…

With her hands, Anna put as much more pressure to the barrier. Looking to knock this little girl back hard! Of course, this'll mean breaking a few bones in her body. But at least she could get some compensation for this good deed from the general. Maybe a few weeks off duty perhaps…

"Alright guys, get ready!" Zack watched on along with the others. With the Hurricane Flash and Aero Blitz colliding together, the girls seemed to be at a stalemate. There was no telling who would win in this struggle.

"Keeping Anna at bay will be the key," Mike reminded, "Of course she isn't above using cheap tactics…"

"Mah balls can vouch for that…" Brad noticed the illuming light of energy from the girls, "LOOK OUT!"

As the rangers ducked for cover, Viki could feel every part of her body throbbing with pain from the force of this attack. She couldn't stop here! She had to stop Anna! She'll get her body back, even if it meant breaking every bone in it – Hers or Anna's! She didn't expect the Aero Blitz to have this much power, but she didn't expect her Hurricane Flash to be used against her, let alone with this amount of power either. She let out a rage-filled scream as she put everything she had and more into this blitz…

…

As the bright light disappeared, Mike looked on to see Viki and Anna, both now unmorphed and presumably drained from the attacks. He glanced at the device in his hand, now was the perfect opportunity.

Zack apparently had the same idea. "Ready the shot Mike! Brad, let's make sure Anna stays put!"

"A'right, but yer holdin' her from behind!" Brad wasn't taking chances! He wasn't going to get hit in the balls twice, let alone in the same fight.

Anna was the first to get up, still a bit groggy. With her bare arms and hands visible, she was no longer morphed. After all that, she still couldn't believe Viki could break that barrier. Then again, all it proved was that the Ultima Enforcers were superior. As if there was any doubt. She soon found her arms raised and hooked, "The hell?"

Zack placed in a full-nelson hold on her. However he hopped to the ground once he sensed her doing the same thing she did to Brad the last time, "I don't think so!" Hopefully Viki wouldn't feel too many bruises. "GRAB HER LEGS!"

Mike walked over towards Viki, "You okay?"

Viki shook her head, "Owie…" She felt herself picked up to her feet, "Thanks Mikey!"

"As soon as I hit Anna with this you're next!"

"But shouldn't you tie me up first before you initiate the switch?" Viki would be relieved when she got her body back, but that would mean Anna would be back to herself as well and since the Ultima Morpher was on her wrist, she'd have a good chance to escape.

"After what she did, who knows what she could have up her sleeve?" Mike thought for a second. What if Anna had a plan B, just in case this ploy failed? While they could've been using precautions, they could've been doing Pride a favor. With all things considered, he would rather have her escape instead of them inadvertently giving her an opportunity. For all he knew she could've been bugged.

"WHAT'S TAKIN' YA SO LONG, MIKE!" Brad shouted, feeling Anna trying to get her legs free while rolling around.

Zack tightened his grip, clenching teeth, "The more you struggle the more I tighten!"

"GET OFF ME!" Anna shrieked! Now would've been a good time to shift into an animal, preferably one that would maul the rangers into nothing. But she didn't have the strength for it after that last attack. "DAMN IT!"

"Make sure you actually hit her!"

Mike moved in close, but not too close. From further examination of the device, this put to use a high amount of pressure. Using it up close could cause serious injury, but keeping at a distance gave chance to missing or, god forbid, hitting Zack or Brad. Granted they were still morphed, but in the end it would still be a wasted shot. "Here goes…"

As much as she squirmed, as much as she struggled, Anna's attempts at freedom went in vain as within a moment, she felt a sharp pain on the left side of her torso. 'Damn it…'

Brad gave a thumb up, "Nice shootin'!" However, it would be his undoing as he soon felt Viki's feet forcibly connecting to his head. The shock from feeling this through his helmet caused his grip to loosen…

"Brad!" Zack tightened his hold. It was bad enough her legs were free, but at least her arms wouldn't be in use. He saw her desperately trying to use her legs as leverage in an attempt to break the hold. Mike may've made the shot, but Anna could still remove the dart and ruin the transfer with as much as a roll onto her side. That wasn't going to happen, not as long as he was still breathing.

"Mike hurry!" Viki said, quickly turning her back towards him, as Brad tried to grab Anna's legs, but she was kicking more recklessly than ever!

Within a nod, as he got into distance, Mike fired the second shot onto Viki, leading the dart to land onto her shoulder. Upon inspection, the dart seemed to be firmly in place. "Good enough, now let's put this game to an end!" Within a press of a button, both Viki and Anna felt a surge through their bodies. "Zack, release her!"

"Gladly" Zack unhooked his arms as he and Brad quickly moved out of the way. Volts of electricity began to circle around both girls' bodies. As soon as the energy disappeared, Viki and Anna were unconscious.

The rangers de-morphed as they quickly went over to Viki's fallen body, hoping that the process was a success, "Viki, you okay?"

Her eyes began to blink, "D-did it work?" She paused after hearing her voice. She looked down at her hands, her hands! Her eyes went wide! "I'm me again!"

All three boys sighed, "That's a relief."

Brad helped Viki up, "Couldn't believe you could do that Blitz thing!"

She let out a soft smile, "What can I say? I'm a quick study!"

"Good thing you managed to pull that off," Zack stated, then suddenly felt a bit light headed. "So nice all of a sudden…"

Brad felt the same way, "S'all peaceful…"

As did Mike, "It is a wonderful day after all!"

And Viki as well, "It just makes me want to forget all about my troubles…" The rangers slowly but surely began to lose track of their senses before drifting off into their own allusions, failing to notice a recovering enforcer, who quickly made her escape…

…

Groggily, Tony rose to his feet as he looked around. Just how long was he out for? Most importantly, "Hey, where did Annie go? ANNIE! WHERE'D YA GO? WHERE YA AT?" He looked down at his morpher's GPS! From what he saw, he noticed a pink blip on the screen that was moving. Odds were that was Anna and she managed to recover her morpher. He quickly headed off towards her. This was supposed to be on the DL and if Pride found out, there would be serious repercussions.

Anna blinked as she saw Tony running towards her, 'God, what's that idiot doing here?'

He let out a smile, "Looks like someone finally found their morpher!"

"What are you talking about?" Anna stopped, realizing that this was probably of Viki's doing, "You know what? Nevermind! Let's just get out of here!"

Tony was taken by her response, but decided to ignore it, "Yeah, we should probably be getting back. Don't wanna get ya in trouble."

**CCU: Student Union**

"SHE DID WHAT!"

Zack winced at Viki's outburst, "Yep, she's back to normal!"

Her fists clenched as she slammed them on top of the table, startling her fellow rangers. Viki's eyes were narrow as Zack, Mike, and Brad could've sworn that she was foaming in the mouth. "Anna…actually…watched…Reality…TV…IN MY BODY!"

"Take it easy, Viki?"

"EASY! Supporting Reality TV is the worst thing anyone can do to an actor, let alone aspiring up and coming ones, and she made me do that! As far as that's concerned, this _is_ me taking it easy!" She shook her head, "Anna will pay for this…"

"Reality TV is the least of your worries," Mike reminded.

Viki look down at the table, remembering about the other things Anna did. Thanks to Anna, she's now a thief who could expect a call from the dean, regardless of returning the necklace and apologizing. Even worse, now Claude wouldn't even talk to her. And she could forget about seeing Allie, since she was going to punt her! "Could this get any worse?"

"I take it you missed your callback as well, due to obvious reasons."

Viki let out a whimper, letting her head drop onto the table top. Now that she more or less no-show a callback, getting roles would even be harder now due to her possibly getting a reputation of being a no-show!

Zack placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'll make it up to you with a strawberry milkshake!" All he got was more whimpering. This whole mind-switch debacle really brought Viki down. Worst of all, that could had happened to any of them. If it was that easy to execute the switch, who knew how many people were more or less replace by the Syrallian Soldiers, especially knowing that there are Syrallian Sympathizers upon Earth? The thought alone was enough to be cautious of anyone and everyone, even at school! They would have to be careful, because anyone, anyone could be an agent working for Pride.

**Syral Space Station: Omega**

"Hopefully you'll have better protection of your morpher!"

"For the last time, I did not lose my morpher!" Anna was this close to gaining a migraine… if she hasn't got one already. It felt as if she told that idiot for the billionth time. "I purposely left it behind!"

Tony scoffed, "Why the hell would you do something soooo stuupid?"

She facepalmed, "For the last time, it was so when I did that switch, that little girl wouldn't have my morpher! Now thanks to you, she did! Oy!"

"…Now how the hell could you do something like that? Don't tell me you now have some new body-switching powers now!"

"No, it was some device that-" Anna looked around, "Shhh…I think the General's nearby."

"What did you do to make you want to avoid-ERRK." Tony dropped to a knee, clenching his head as if a vice was place onto it.

"TONY!" Anna cursed herself, did Pride already know about her little quest? Nevertheless, before she had a chance to find a way out of this, she too felt as if her head was being squished together.

"Glute… Faye… You disappoint me…" His arm extended, Pride maintained the pressure he had on his two enforcer.

"General…" Anna tried to reason, "Hi… We were just-"

"I know all about your little trip to Earth," Pride revealed, as Lex stood beside him crossed armed, shaking his head.

"Looks like the peroxide has finally affected your mental capacity," He taunted. "Just what were you trying to do?"

"Go to hell!" Anna snapped, feeling as if her head was about to explode.

"I must commend you, Faye. You managed to capture one of the rangers. You almost were able to gain access to their base of operations. However, you carelessly left your morpher behind. At this moment, you're lucky to have managed to recover it. And it was because of your prisoner managing to escape, and because of Glute's incompetence that she managed to escape in the first place."

Glute winced at this revelation, "Y-you mean… It…wasn't Anna? Aw man… I'm not gonna die, am I?"

"Because of your failure, you've lost any psychological technological advantage, now that the rangers know a bit more about your powers."

"Hold on, General. Let's not be too hasty!" Another voice chimed in as its owner walked towards them. "Although the rangers did manage to obtain her morpher, Anna did manage to learn a bit more about the ranger's powers, specifically the pink ranger's powers."

"What are you implying?"

He let out a smirk, "What I'm saying is that what appears to be as failure can be worked into our advantage. What could be seen as a temporary setback, can be seen as a permanent step forward! From what I've gathered, Anna quickly adapted to using Viki's ranger powers. She knew exactly how to use her powers and when to use them. Even powers unknown to the pink ranger herself."

"And what about your current plan?"

"It's underway as scheduled. All we need now is just a few adjustments and we can proceed."

A smile formed on his face as Pride released his hold. "Keep up the good work. I expect good results to come from this."

Anna fell to her knees as she watched the general leave, before smiling towards the guy who just saved her brain from turning into mush, "Thank you!"

"Don't expect me to save you again. While I did just talk the general into sparing you for your own foolishness, you still have a lot to make up for."

She quickly nodded, "I know."

He made his exit, "I suggest you get some rest. We do have a long schedule at dawn."

"Got it! Again, thanks Kenny!"

Before stepping out from the room, he gave her one last glance, "Just don't resort to any more extremes! You won't be so lucky next time…"

Anna sighed again. Ken was right. If he wasn't there, her brain would've been mashed potatoes right now. Now she would receive a chance to redeem herself, no thanks to the idiot or the douche.

"I….don't feel so good…" Tony collapsed on the ground as Anna just ignored. It was his fault she got into this mess in the first place.

"Hmph, the mutt gets thrown another bone I see." Lex narrowed his eyes, "I hope you do realize that your actions are a reflection upon the rest of us."

"Aww, I didn't even knew you cared!"

Lex ignored her sarcasm, "The last thing I want to do is to clean up after you when you screw up."

As he walked away, Anna balled her hands into a fist. She hated Lex. She hated him within every part of her body. What she would do to knock that self-righteous smirk off his face. She'd almost willingly join the rangers if it meant Lex getting taught a thing or to… Well…almost… As much as she loathed Lex, she would rather die than to be on the same team as that little girl.

* * *

_Next Chapter: _Finding a Minizord on the Planet Lorecora, the rangers take the shuttle there immediately! Meanwhile, a fiery force is on the move with Lorecora's own team of rangers not too far behind.

**Chapter 11:** Travel to Lorecora! Rangers of Light!


	11. Travel to Lorecora! Rangers of Light!

**Chapter 11:** Travel to Lorecora! Rangers of Light!

As the cool breeze brush through the trees, her brown eyes watched over the clouds. It was nice to get away from it all and just relax with nature. Forgetting about all of one's troubles and stresses! Worrying about tasks? A look at the clouds can take those away! Getting sick of an overly-protective brother? Hours of breathing through the fresh, relaxing air could remedy the situation.

Leaning back against the tree, she carelessly takes a sip out of her small bottle of iced tea. The grass was a bit moist. Moist enough to seek through her jeans, but she didn't mind. The blades of grass moving through her toes made her smile. It tickled, but it still made her feel good.

As she looked up, she couldn't help but notice a blinding light from the branches. "Huh?" Standing, she jumped up, grabbing onto a branch. Wrapping her legs around the branch, she pulled herself up on top as she saw the object of her focus. There it was, placed inside of an old bird's nest. No eggs were present so she didn't have much to worry. Then again, this was someone's home and destroying it would be a crime. She proceeded to carefully climb over to the nest, hoping to see what that shiny thing was. As she was only a foot away, she heard a crack. "Oh come on!" She pondered just dropping down, but feared that she was better off going for it. Then she considered moving back, but her nervousness may end up bringing her down – literally!

'Screw it…' She decided to keep going. She was curious and she already made it this far. She might as well see it through. As she slid onward, her reach was getting closer and closer, until she was able to grab it. She sighed as she now held the crystal-like object in her hand. 'That wasn't too hard.' Within moments, the object began to glow. "What the-" Her jerk-like movement in response to this was all it was needed for the branch to break bringing her and the nest down.

Recovering, she looked over to see the fallen nest flipped on top of the now-grounded branch as she then noticed in place of the object she acquired. "What the-What is that?"

**Sigma HQ**

"Lorecora?" Viki asked in curiosity. It has been about a month since they had become rangers and already they have adjusted to their roles as defenders of the universe. The number of Bio-Beasts appearing on Earth has increased since, but somehow they've managed to fight them off. They have also managed to find a few more Minizords and even managed to hold off the Ultima Enforcers. Granted, it was mostly because of the Luminous Claw Brad and Mike found, but since the Ultimas held the Zeo Crystal, it would only be a matter of time before the upgrade would be rendered useless.

"Lorecora is a planet based on Asian culture, and that is where you'll be going." Ezekiel explained turning to a large screen. "I've picked up Minizord energy signals originating from there as early as this morning."

"And you want us to retrieve these Minizords?"

"Precisely! Hopefully we'll manage to get the jump before Pride or his enforcers get wind of this."

"So what are we waiting for?" Zack pounded a fist in to his palm, "Let's head to the zords and-"

"No!" Ezekiel explained, "The zords are only to be used as a last resort. Above else, they are not suited for space travel."

"So how are we supposed to get there?" Brad reminded, "Ah don't know 'bout you, but last Ah checked, tickets for planetary travel were expensive!"

"We will be using this as our transportation!" Mike pressed a switch near the screen, causing a large, metallic wall to slide open. Behind it was what appeared to be a large, white jet-like spaceship! "Allow me to present to you Astro Base: Our very own mobile command fortress!"

Zack let out a smile, "Sweet!"

As did Viki, "Awesome!"

Brad gave an accusing glance towards the blue ranger, "You knew 'bout this, didn't ya?"

"Well he did brief me about this shortly before I left to look for you guys." Mike reminded.

"Again, so what are we waiting for?" Zack commanded, "Rangers, let's move out!"

"Ah'm pilotin'!"

"Not so fast, Brad." Mike informed, "Out of all of us, I'm the only one who has a piloting license!"

"They let y'all get piloting licenses easily back where y'all come from?"

"Who cares? Let's take a look already!" Viki proceeded after Zack into the Astro Base as Brad followed.

"Hopefully s'gotta snack bar…" He pondered. It was going to be a long flight and provisions would be in need.

Mike was the last one to enter, "Hopefully they won't let it go over their heads." While he could understand their enthusiasm in seeing a warship up close, however they all had a mission to do.

At the docking station, Ezekiel proceeded with the pre-flight preparations, "Now rangers, this is the first launch of Astro Base. Remember to keep the speed at a steady pace and don't overheat the thrusters."

Mike nodded, now seated in the pilot's seat, "Roger."

"While for some of you this isn't your first trip to another planet, you must remember the rules of interplanetary interaction. Always respect the host culture and whatever customs they have. And whatever you do, do not get involve into any political issues of that planet. Otherwise, you may cause an interplanetary incident."

Zack nodded, "Got it!"

"Good luck rangers! And be careful. There's a big chance that we may not be the only ones looking for Minizords on Lorecora."

"We will!" He sat himself into the "Captain's seat." From the look of the cockpit station where Brad, Mike, and Viki were seated, they were all ready to go. "Launch!"

Mike pressed a few buttons on the console, "Activating Engines… Thrusters online… All systems go!"

…

In the plains area only a mile away from Coast City, an artificial fissure formed as after the gap was wide enough, the white moveable fortress ascended into the air. Once at a comfortable altitude, the ship proceeded to head upward toward the sky, leaving Earth…

"So how long will it take to get to Lorecora anyway?" Viki asked.

"According to average flight patterns, Ah say 'round five hours!" Brad informed.

Viki pouted, "Aww…"

"Hey, use this time to relax and kick back." Zack suggested. "Who knows when we'll get another opportunity?"

"But then there's the way home! That would mean another five hours!" Viki turned to the pilot. "Mike, you know more about this ship than any of us, isn't there something to do?"

"Well, there is a recreation lounge if I recall…" Mike informed.

"Does it have a TV, let alone one with at least 535 channels?"

"Only 300 I'm afraid," Mike saw Viki's excitement dropped a bit.

"Aw well, at least it shouldn't have any of those Reality TV channels."

"So, anybody ever gone to Lorecora?" Brad asked, leaning back in his chair.

"I've heard about it." Mike explained, "The planet itself is remarkably beautiful, and mostly consists of Asian culture. Lorecorians are known to be very religious towards the Divine Light, which they believe to be their very source of power, and are experts in the white arts." A smile formed on his face, "While their physical characteristics are pointed ears and usually of Asian ancestry, the women there are also know for their rather large…assets, for lack of a better term."

Brad stroked his chin, "Ah've managed to see Katie and Teagan a few times in class. Never even notice their ears!"

"Ears vary with the person." Mike continued, "While their white magic such as healing is remarkably held in high regard, it can't even cure the deadliest diseases."

"Figured not…" Zack sighed, "Even the best isn't what it's made out to be."

Viki noticed a device Mike was currently examining, "What's that thing? Is it a morpher?"

"Ezekiel asked me to take a look at it. Apparently there is a glitch in the morphing sequence."

"Oh?"

"Normally when a morpher is activated, its user goes into a morphed state. But with this one, within a few moments the effect instantly reverses. Constant morphing at such rates is hazardous and could become fatal. The body wasn't designed to handle such changes."

"I see…" Viki eyes widen, as it just came to mind, "Does this mean our-"

"There's no need to worry. Our morphers appear to be fine since our last maintenance. Thankfully they're without this problem."

A sigh of relief escaped the red ranger's lips, "That's one problem we don't have to worry about." Dealing with the Ultima Enforcers would be irksome enough without having issues with their morphers.

Brad gave an accusing glance, "S'why he asked _you_ to fix it?"

"Ezekiel might've seen my technological credentials before he recruited me." A smirk formed on his face, "Normally I'm not one to brag, but I am quite the technological genius."

He struggled from rolling his eyes as this boast, "There he goes again…"

"Don't start, Brad…" Viki sensed the green ranger living up to his color. She knew they've been getting along, but she couldn't help but feel that there was still a bit of animosity! The last thing any of them needed was negative feelings that could be exploited.

**Lorecora: Aguni Temple**

"How many were they?"

"There were four of them I think. Were there four? I couldn't tell! It all happened in a flash!"

It was like that all morning between the guard and the high priest. This was the third temple to be burned down! What were they up to? What were they planning? Was this all a declaration of war? Or were they hired guns?

He closed his eyes, thinking about how many people died in that blast today. "By the wave of the holy light, may you all rest in peace!" The casualty count was already high because of them, whoever they were, _whatever_ they were. He had to stop them, before more people got hurt. With a press of his wrist communicator, he decided to check in with his team. "Did you find anything?"

"_Nothing much I'm afraid."_ A calm, gentle voice replied, "_But we did manage to find some survivors. Their condition isn't the best, but at least they're alive."_

"Bless the holy maiden… How are the others?"

"_Kikoro and Kokoro are still searching, but Izumi manage to find out some particular information about our 'guests.'"_

He scoffed, "Besides their fetish of burning temples to the ground?"

"_According to witnesses, their fighting style seems to stem upon Ninjitsu. One of them has the uncanny ability of manipulating shadows, while another can multiply herself."_

He nodded, looking back toward the guard and priest, "That explains the guard's confusion."

"_What about you? Did you find out anything?"_

"We're still in the process of finding anything salvageable from the fire. Odds are if there's anything that survived, they already took it. Stay on high alert! There's no telling when they might strike again!"

"_What about-"_

"I know…" He sighed, "Knowing her she's probably in the city. As soon as I'm done here, I'll try finding her. Hopefully she'll stay in one place long enough…" From seeing the damage they've done, he wasn't too keen that there were people who could within a flash of light become a potential victim or worse hostage to the two. Especially his sister…

**Deep Space: Astro Base**

"So, how are the women there at Lorecora?" Zack asked Mike.

"I'm not familiar with them, personally. But I believe that they should be decent enough."

"'Course they could be like the ones back down home or they could be 'bit on the silent side," Brad noted.

"Personally, I want to see if two particular things that you said are true!" Zack admitted, "That could be a good deal."

"Who wouldn' want a girl with a nice pair up above?"

"Jeez Louise…" Viki sighed at hearing the boys talk. She just _had_ to join a ranger team that mostly consisted of boys, let alone hormone-crazed ones. There were a lot more to girls than big breasts and a cute smile. All their talking was just making her feel inadequate. Worst of all that they didn't even notice or even care at all! After all, it wasn't as if she wasn't _right there_!

"I'd prefer two, myself! Just in case one isn't up for a few rounds, the other one is always available." Mike smirked, hands behind his head, "Available options is the name of the game, gentlemen!"

Having more than her fill of this, Viki stood up from her seat. "I'm going to take a shower, then see if the Brave and the Magnificent's on!"

Zack shrugged, "Yeah, sure!"

Brad nodded, "G'on head!"

"Take your time," Mike suggested.

Viki let out a groan that clearly represented her current frustration. It's like they didn't even care about how she felt! All they could think about was those Lorecorian women and their stupid breasts!

Mike checked the radar, "Actually Viki, I suggest you skip the shower! We're near our destination!"

Viki walked towards the window as she could see the outside of the mostly blue/white/green planet. She cheered, "We're here!" They made it to Lorecora! Now they could do a bit of site-seeing, look for the Minizords, maybe do some shopping, and best of all: Now the guys will stop talking about breasts!

"_We have arrived at Lorecora! Please be seated for atmosphere entry!"_

As the rangers seated and fastened their seatbelts, Astro Base began to descend into the planet's atmosphere.

"So what's the plan when we touch down?" Brad asked.

"First, we go out and get familiar with the area." Zack suggested, "Then we start looking for the Minzords."

Viki blinked, "Can't we just go sight-seeing first? I mean it's not every day we get to travel to another planet!" Why not enjoy this possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

Mike raised a brow, "You're joking."

Zack added, "We really don't have that luxury right now, Viki. The last thing we need right now is someone like the Ultima Enforcers coming here and taking any more Minizords. The Zeo Crystal's already bad enough as it is."

"Aw come on! And besides, I'm sure you of all people would rather relax before doing such stressful work!"

Mike smirked at the nod towards Zack's laziness, "Viki does have a point. Also, touring the area may help us learn a bit more about the Lorecorian culture. Interplanetary relations are very complex to the point where the smallest room of error could cause chaos to all involved parties."

"Ah gotta say, sum R&R would be nice," Brad added.

"Oh who am I kidding?" As much as he knew how important finding the Minizords were, Zack knew how much he would rather enjoy the experience of being on another planet than to just do work. Who wouldn't? "We'll just go and tour around in the city for one hour. Then, we get to work."

…

From the Lorecorian skies, Astro Base proceeded to land into a wide open field near a river. Within a matter of moments, the flying fortress landed as a sliding door soon opened. A small ramp extended from the ship to the ground as one of its passengers ran outside.

Carrying a small picnic basket, Viki inhaled the air, "Ah, the air! Smells nice, almost therapeutic…"

Brad observed the field. It was green, much greener than the ones back in California, let alone Earth. "Well Ah'll be! This ain't half bad!"

"Lorecora is considered by many to be the most beautiful planet in the universe. Its air is known be the most cleansing for the body and mind," Mike chimed in. "What do you think Zack?"

Zack was the last to step out from Astro Base. From the air to the grass at the bottom, he wasn't even on this planet for five minute and already he felt that he could have a life here. "Pretty nice…"

"It's so nice to let the little ones come out for some air!" Viki moved back the blanket over the basket, revealing the four ranger-owned Minizords resting inside. "They look so cute."

"You actually brought them outside?"

"Oh come on, Zack! Don't tell me that you'd want them to be cooped up in the fortress all day long!" Reaching into the basket, Viki gently picked up one of them: The small reddish gecko that was, ironically enough, entrusted to the red ranger, "You don't really want to lock this little guy up, do ya?"

Zack had to agree, Viki did have a point. The Minizords were not just tools of war to be used for power and nothing else. They were living, sentient beings that deserved to be treated with dignity and care. "Alright Viki, I'm leaving you in charge of the Minizords." Her smile was enough to confirm that he made the right choice. Out of all of them, Viki was the one that enjoyed being around them the most. Maybe it was the morphing-into-animals thing she had going on, but when it came to her interacting with the little guys, they just clicked. A smile came to his face, Viki could handle it.

**Kendo Woods**

"Did you really have to go that far, Mandy?" Ty slightly scolded, leaning his back against a tree.

She shrugged, "I just have this pent-up frustration!" Her eyes narrowed as her finger stroked through her now-pink locks, ready for revenge, "I have to get it out somehow!"

"Well of course you know that we're already on Lorecora's most wanted list, especially after destroying the temples."

"Hey, at least we've managed to get these!" Amanda juggled three small identical spheres; one red, one blue, and one orange.

"Even the more reason why we should be careful. Lorecora is a nice place to live and I would like to be able to relax here in peace in the future."

"Tch, you're too soft, Ty!"

"And you're too reckless!" He took out a white folded piece of paper, "Well now, what's next on the agenda?" He checked the list, "Ah, Kaze Temple. Home of the Orb of Storm!"

"Oohh that should go nicely with Fire, Water, and Earth!" Amanda placed the orbs back into a small sack. "And the best part of all? There isn't anyone who can stop us!"

Ty nodded, "Let try to get this done before we get more of the locals after us! There's this one girl who have these eyes! They're as if they can literally see right through you!"

Amanda crossed her arms, "Hmph, I'll burn them out from their sockets if she even _looks_ our way."

"Enough of that, let's get this done so we can go home!"

With a nod Amanda followed Ty as they headed towards their next destination. It was only a matter of time, they could feel it coming. Soon, everyone will realize the power of the Fire Ninja Academy.

**Fujin City**

From the sounds of cars speeding by to the voices of vendors shouting, this busy city was typical to those on Lorecora. The city itself, while maintaining most signs of its oriental origins such as buildings, seemed to be influenced by the western culture design-wise.

Viki's eyes were widened in awe, "I never thought that a city in Lorecora would have this much technology!"

"While Lorecora is very nature-friendly compared to other planets such as Earth and Syral, it is not without its own technological advances." Mike explained, "However, outside the cities are those who are against the technological advancements to the point where they resort to using more primitive methods out of protest."

"Well a little technology doesn't hurt anyone, I say!" Zack placed his hands behind his head, "If you don't adapt to change, you'll just get left behind."

"Ah'll say!" Brad remembered, "Last time the washin' machine broke down back at home we all went crazy! Turned into an ole' school brawl over who gets a clean pair!"

Viki glanced at a few more buildings until turning to the guys, "How's about we go shopping for a bit?"

"We've only been here for 20 minutes an' ya already wanna shop?" They were supposed to be trying to find out more about the area in order to meet their objective more efficiently without stepping on any toes of the Lorecorian government. But this whole thing was turning into an excuse for Viki to go shopping!

"We do have an hour before we're supposed to get to work, right?" She jumps into Zack's face, smiling, "Soo… Why don't we have some fun and go shopping!"

"Alright, alright…" Zack decided why not. It'd make her happy and keep her occupied. Besides, they all had an hour to enjoy themselves before they had to start searching. "Just try not to get into trouble, okay?" His words were all that was needed for Viki to quickly walk towards a large multi-storied building. "That was fast…"

"Not that surprising…" Mike noted, "Women and shopping go together like milk and cookies."

"Speakin' of cookies, let go grab ourselves sumthin' to eat!" Brad explained, "We don' wanna get on the loosin' side of a fight on 'count of an empty stomach, right?"

Zack nodded, feeing his stomach beginning to grumble, "I am starting to get hungry myself."

"If I recall correctly, there should be a restaurant near the area." Mike glanced around before spotting a particular building. The design for the most part was western-based, save for Asian influences such as the roof. Above laid a white neon light which, when lighted, showed a picture of a Wyvern. Within a nod, "I say that we've found our place to dine."

"Let's just hope this place isn't too fancy," Zack sighed. As the three headed towards the building, the cost was the first thing that went to his mind. Forget dress code, the last thing he needed was to go into a fancy restaurant only find that he didn't even have enough to pay for the entrees. He already had enough money problems from gambling. They _all_ did…

As they walked through the door, the aroma of cooked salmon and fried shrimp entered through their nostrils. A soft, enchanting music played in the background in unison with the chatter of the patrons. The waitresses were each dressed in cheongsam dresses, each in a different color. The most noticeable of all was a giant glass statue of a long-bodied dragon which seemed to cover at least 10-20 yards of the room. Truly the restaurant's primary attraction!

"In case you're wondering, Seafood such as fish, shrimp, and lobster is one of Lorecora's biggest exports in intergalactic trade." Mike explained, "In fact it's the most popular of all of Lorecorian exports, particularly with Earth and Rhynia. As far as restaurants go, four out of five cities contain more than one that is based solely on seafood. Restaurants such as the one we're at now are known to be highly popular with tourists."

Zack let out a nod, interested, "Seafood or not, hopefully this place has some BBQ."

Mike had to refrain from rolling his eyes, "…You're joking." He really didn't want to get any strange looks, much less the "Stupid Gaijin" label.

"Aw c'mon, Mike! S'not as if it's completely off the wall!" Brad stated with serious confidence, "Ah mean there's 'lotta ways you can cook food, 'specially shrimp! Within few seconds you can think of five ways to cook 'em, including barbeque!"

"I honestly doubt that-"

"There's boilin' it, fryin' it," Brad listed, "Bakin' it, smokin' it, grillin' it," He let out a smirk towards the blue ranger, "Ah could go all day!"

"Here you go, enjoy your meal!" A young girl placed two plates, each filled with lobster and assorted vegetables onto a table seated by an elderly couple. Her brown eyes scanned the restaurant for more potential customers. Within moments, she spotted a trio of customers having just seated at an empty table: Two Caucasians who were in a debate, and one African-American who just watched lazily. From the unfamiliarity of them at first glance, she deducted they were foreigners. Straightening her green qipao, she walked over towards them. Now was the time to show them why Hikari-Ryu was not only the number one seafood restaurant in Fujin City, but throughout all the providences.

"Shrimp Stew, Shrimp Cocktail, Shrimp Pizza, Shrimp Taco…" Brad's challenging grin said it all to Mike, whose eyes were wide at how many recipes he had listed already. 20? 30!

"I stand corrected…" The blue ranger admitted defeat. He didn't like being wrong… Well, it was on rare occasions but it didn't mean he liked it. Still, it was nice to see that Brad's thinking with his head more than his fists from what he saw since they've first met.

"Hello, welcome to the Hikari-Ryu! I'm Mikeru and I'll be your waitress this afternoon!"

Zack placed down the menu before turning to the arrival, "I'll have the Catfish sandwich!"

Mike smiled at the waitress, "I'll try the shrimp salad!"

She wrote the orders in her notepad before turning to Brad, "And what will you be having?"

"What's on the-" Turning his head, Brad's eyes widened as he saw the waitress beside him! Her brown eyes were like two soothing lights as her smile was quite relaxing. But what was most noticeable about her was her long, chestnut hair that nearly touched the floor. At waist length, it was held back by a ribbon in a lime green color that matched her dress. "…the…the…"

A brow raised, Zack turned to his friend, "Uh… Brad?"

"Do try to remember where we are…" Mike sighed, foreseeing nothing but the ire of the other patrons, as he turned to the waitress. "I apologize for my friend's lack of manners."

She hand-waved, "Oh I get this all the time. It's fine, really." She went to place a hand on the startled boy's shoulder…

"Special!" He burst out loud, nervousness dwelling in his voice, "…W-what's on the special?"

"Today's special is smoked lobster with a choice of side dish being mozzarella sticks or soup," She explained with a smile.

"In that case, Ah'll have the-" Upon sight of her smile, Brad once again lost control of himself.

Zach rolled his eyes, "Get it together, Brad…"

"Honestly, you're making quite the spectacle of yourself." Mike shook his head in embarrassment.

"Well there is one thing you can do." Mikeru glanced towards a full glass of water as Mike nodded, knowing exactly what needed to be done.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Zack warned as Mike stood up.

"We hardly have any choice." The glass held above his head, Mike turned his wrist to the side as the water began to pour. Within seconds, his neck was grasped before he felt himself slammed hard back first onto the table, staring into a pair of eyes filled with rage.

"Just what'd you think yer doin'?"

"I…" Mike gagged, trying to breathe in as much air through his windpipe, "I was just… trying… to help…"

"The thing with Brad, let's just say that he was at the wrong end of a senior prank…" Sighing, Zack went to pry Brad's hands off of Mike's neck. "Let him go, Brad."

With a shove, Brad released his grip, "Sorry, just don' like havin' liquids poured on me." It could've been worse: It could've _not_ been water, like last time…

"I'll keep that in mind next time. Although you do need to learn some restraint…"

"You try havin' a bucket of pi-Never mind…"

"I'm sorry…" Mikeru bowed in remorse, "It was my idea, please do not be upset with your friend."

Brad waved off, "Eh, Ah'm over it now…" As he watched the waitress walk away to carry out their orders, he couldn't help but admire her beauty. Even her integrity and honesty were as admirable…

**Daiei Shopping Mall – Fujin **

Steadily moving the hung fabric on the hanger, Viki examined the clothes in front of her. They were mostly shirts, but styled in a way similar to a kimono. Nearby were different variations of cheongsam dresses. Short, long, sleeved, sleeveless, there were basically dresses for anyone regardless of taste and style. Nevertheless, it still didn't make decisions any easier…

"Lesse… Which one should I get?" In her hands Viki held up two hangers, a kimono-styled shirt on each one in a different color. White on the left, pink on the right! In truth, she hardly if ever cared about the clothes she wore, aside from outfits to wear to expos and costume parties. But on rare occasions such as this, it was always nice to get the jump on the girls at school when it came to fashions. Especially the rich girls who could afford to trot from planet to planet. "They both look so nice! What do you think, Mickey?" She turned to the silver squirrel perched on top of her right shoulder, who just squeaked. Maybe it was from the times she spent in her animal forms, but while she couldn't speak their language, she could understand what the animals were trying to say… usually. "Yeah, better take the pink. White's easy to stain, and I have enough problems pouring the right amount of laundry detergent." Placing the white shirt back on the rack, Viki felt a sharp but small pinch as she noticed the squirrel staring at another direction, "What's wrong Mickey?" She soon saw what was in the Minizord's interest: A young, auburn-haired girl examining the fabrics available. "Yes Mickey. That's another Lorecorian woman. They all have pointy ears and their breasts are big too, but so what? Big boobs aren't all that they're cracked up to be anyway! I like my boobs the way they are! They're cuter and bouncier anyway and much less of a hindrance!" She felt the pinch from the claws of its feet once more as saw Mickey scurrying on the floor. "No Mickey!"

The squirrel leaped onto the blue pant leg before climbing up to her white shirt, much to her shock. "What the-" She turned to the source, but all she saw was rumbling inside of her white bag.

"Mickey, no!" Running forward, Viki tried as much to recall her "pet" but it was all in vain! All she could do was hold her head down in shame, "I'm sorry… It's just my-Huh!" They both looked down to find Mickey leaping out from the bag, but moments later, a penguin of a similar size followed. As the squirrel scurried back up to her shoulder, the blonde looked towards the revealed creature, "So that's what you were looking for!"

"Is that, yours?" The girl glanced at the silver squirrel, trying to get a grasps at the situation, before reaching for the small penguin. There was something fishy about Blondie. Ever since her little friend showed itself she's been getting a vibe from her. Somehow, it had to do with her new pet. The stare from her was evident enough.

"Is that a…" Viki went for a closer look but the girl quickly jumped back.

"What are you doing?" Eyes narrowed, now she really was suspicious about her.

"Sorry, it's just…" Viki pointed at the creature in her hand, "That penguin…"

"What about it?"

"Uhh…Where'd you get it?"

She quickly pulled it close to her chest, "Finders Keepers!"

Viki quickly shook her head, "It's not like that at all! …Okay, maybe it is, but I really need to see it right now!" Unfortunately, all that it accomplished was a deadpan stare.

"…Uh-huh…"

"Honestly, I really need to get a good look to see-" She flinched as the Minizord was roughly shoved into her face.

"There, happy?" Her eyes narrowed at the annoyance, "Now if you excuse me…"

"Hey wait-" Her cries were all in vain, as within a flash she was gone. All that was left as a memento was the flowing clothes on the racks she passed by in her exit. "What's with her? Anyway, we're gonna need that Minizord." She turned to Mickey, "Let's go!" As she reached the door, "Oh right…" She walked back to the cash register, remembering the clothes in her hands weren't paid for yet.

**Hikari-Ryu Seafood Restaurant**

"Here you go. I hope you three enjoy your meal!"

Nodding at Mikeru, Mike picked the small shrimp with his fork. Judging by Brad's calm demeanor, at least he's handling things better. Now if only he would get rid of that grin on his face…

As the young waitress walked away, Brad sighed in admiration. "Ain't she just the cutest 'lil thang?"

"Actually, she's quite tall." Zack informed, "Still, I see what'cha mean."

"I wouldn't mind her being my preferred waitress," Mike admitted with a grin.

"You keep yer paws offa her, Pretty Boy!" Brad glared, not wanting to even think about him putting on the charm towards her.

"Relax! I know I'm a strong enthusiast for beautiful women, but at least I have the decency to respect my friends' feelings. Honestly…"

"Well anyway, Bon Appetite…" Zack took a quick bite out of his sandwich. Within the satisfying taste, he knew that he would have to come back to this place again another time.

"Anyway Zack, what'd ya think of her?" Brad asked for a second opinion.

"Does she have a sister?"

"Or sisters, rather?" Mike added.

"Nah, Ah think she's just one-of-a-kind." Brad grinned, "Women like her aren't the everyday kind we all know back home."

"She's certainly not like a certain pain-in-the-ass girl I know, that's for sure…" Zack sighed, knowing full well the hell he would have to deal with when he came back home.

"Don't start, Zack. Let's just enjoy this good food the good people here made fer us!"

"Yeah, let's just eat this good food. Then it's time to go to work." Zack pondered, "Wonder what Viki's doing?"

"Knowing her she's probably showing the Minizords around Lorecora." Mike sighed, "I just hope she doesn't get lost or anything."

"Whatever the case, the sooner we find those three Minizords, the better." The last thing either of them needed was for someone else, or worse the Ultima Enforcers paying a visit.

**Kendo Woods**

Sighing, the girl examined the small penguin-like Minizord that was currently standing on her thigh. The very thing that was such a fuss with that girl… "What is it about you that make you so popular with people?" Receiving an innocent glance, "_What_ are you?" Just why did she want it so bad? And why would she have to give it up to her? She was the one who found it! It was her that fell from the tree for it. She scoffed, for all she knew she was probably like one of those typical stupid spoiled rich girls who just _had_ to get anything and everything they wanted just because they could or "daddy" could make it happen! They sickened her. They're the same people who would buy as much as possible, not caring at all for the environment which was the cause of searching for new inhabitable planets in the first place. …And even then it wouldn't be enough for them, as they'll come to ruin them like they nearly did to Earth.

"Hey!"

She quickly moved back as her eyes widen at the intruder, "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!"

"You don't have to yell! It's just-"

"If it's about this… "Minizord," then forget! Finders keepers! I found it, and I'm keeping it!"

"Trust me, holding onto that Minizord is really a bad idea." Viki tried to explain, but this girl wasn't being reasonable.

She ran a hand through her auburn tresses, "Assuming that I'm even considering giving the Minizord to you, give me one good reason why I should."

Sighing, Viki decided to pull up the flap of her basket, revealing the four Minizords she has resting. "See?"

'For the love of god, I said 'good reason' didn't I?' Typical rich girl move, "So you want this Minizord so you can add it to your collection!"

"Yes!" Viki frantically shook her head, "No, I mean… well, I need to collect it, but…"

"But what!"

Viki could clearly see the declining patience on her face, "…Just trust me, alright! Having that Minizord is basically placing a target on your back! There are a lot of people who would want one."

The penguin chirped as it was examined by its owner, "So it's valuable! Big whoop!"

"I don't mean that kind of value! I mean the more powerful kind!" The girl wasn't buying as Viki began to wonder if she would have to reveal her identity… "My friends and I came to this planet in order to find the three we traced here!"

Her eyes narrowed at hearing the word "friends," "Just what kind of power?"

"Power that can decide a war, that's what! If you have them all, then victory's pretty much yours."

Hearing Viki's words, the Lorecorian rise to her feet. "'Power that can decide a war' huh…" Her eyes narrowed as she glanced towards, if she was right, the answer to her problems. "Wouldn't that power be enough to, say, destroy a temple?"

The blonde scoffed, "With that kind of power, destroying a temple wouldn't be much of an issue why?" She soon found her answer as she was roughly tackled to the ground. "Hey!"

She forcibly pulls her now-captive's arms back, "It was you, wasn't it?"

"W-wait! What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb! You're the ones who've been burning down our temples!"

"W-what do you mean! We didn't do anything!"

"So that's why you were looking for those Minizords! You were using them to burn our temples so you can steal our treasures! Heathen…"

"Honestly, I don't know what you're talking about!"

She sat on top of the perpetrator's arms in order to keep her from moving. "We'll just see what the authorities have to say when they arrive…" She pulled out her cell phone from her belt, "…Oh come on! I just charged the damn thing…"

"Please, you have to believe me! I didn't burn anything down, and neither did my friends!" She felt her shoes being pulled off, "Hey what are you doing…"

"You talk too much…" Having pulled off her socks, she bundled them together before forcing them in their owner's mouth. She ignored the muffled sounds as she thought of her situation. Here she was without a working phone and a talkative suspect for the temple burnings. "Now what…"

Groaning, Viki thought of her predicament. Here she was, barefoot, bounded, and with her socks in her mouth, all for a Minizord! She was just going to shop then meet up with the guys, but she just had to spot a Minizord! Now look at her… Could this day possibly get any worse? Her eyes widened at sound of screaming, 'Great…'

"What the?" Standing, Viki's captor quickly rushed off at the source of the sound, much to the poor girl's belief…

Spitting out the socks, "Finally, I thought she'd never-" Unfortunately for her, the pressure was put back on. This time it was with her knee rather than her backside.

"Kaze temple's in trouble!" She firmly said, "I'm gonna check it out and you're coming with me! Your friends may be at it again!"

After being released, Viki quickly placed her shoes back on, "Oh for Pete's sake, I told you it wasn't-"

"You don't have much evidence to support your innocence. You're coming, like it or not!"

"And what if I-" Viki found the scenery passing her by quickly as the accompanying wind brush roughly against her face. Whatever was happening at Kaze Temple had to be serious, but Zack, Brad, and Mike couldn't really be up to no good, could they? Sure she hasn't exactly known them that long (And Mike even less), but they weren't the types who would do such things, right? …Right? Upon reaching their destination, Viki was nearly launched forward… "Did you really have to go that fast?"

"Shhh!" Viki watched the girl move near the bushes. "There they are…"

"There who are?"

"The bastards who burned our temples down…" She yanked Viki down towards her, "Get down, do you want them to see us?"

"Easy…" Managing to recover from the near tumble, Viki kneeled beside her… she wouldn't exactly call her a friend, more of an acquaintance. In front of the entrance were a group of five guards, each decked in white oriental robes and golden grieves, chest plates, shoulder pads, and arm guards. Along with another, who appeared to be elderly and dressed in golden imperial robes and a tall hat. Whom they were standing against weren't, much to her relief, her friends but two people. Each dressed in leather full-body uniforms, save for the female half of the duo, whose legs were bare save for the black sheer stockings. From the look of the two, it was all too familiar for her liking. However, with her noticing the girl's long, pink hair, she found her familiarity justified. _Seriously_ justified, "That's…"

"I knew it," She gave Viki an accusing glance, "So you _are_ in on it!"

"What? No! It's just… Those two, I know them!"

She scoffed, "You have great taste in friends."

"Well, they're not exactly my friends…" Viki admitted, knowing full well one them was after her life. Still, just what were Ty and Amanda doing here, let alone dress like _that_?

Ty let out a sigh, "I'm only going to ask you one more time. Where is it?"

He stood there not intimidated, not knowing what these two heathens intended to do, "What is this you speak of?"

"Don't play dumb with us, you old fogey!" Amanda crossed her arms, "I think you know exactly what we're talking about. The Orb of Storm, hand it over!"

"You're crazy!" One of the temple guards drew his spear.

Another followed suit, "We'll never allow the Orb of Storm to fall into the hands of infidel heathens like you!"

Ty feigned hurt, "Ouch… that hurts! That really hurts! Speaking of hurt, unless you're ready to start throwing lives away, you should just bring out the orb right around… hmm… 'Now' seems to be a good time."

"Your threats don't scare us!"

"Actually…" Ty raised a hand, turning towards a group of nearby shrine girls, "You're not my intended target!" As he slowly closed his extended fist, the shrine girls began to gag, clutching their throats.

"Those bastards…" The angered girl was about to jump them, but Viki pulled her back.

"Wait! Don't do anything crazy!" The blonde remembered the trick Ty used to keep Amanda from jumping her and Arianna back at the Expo. What if he put them in that same trap? Again, this whole thing was too familiar for her liking.

The bladed tips of the spears were quickly brought toward their necks, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THEM!"

"Careful, I may lose focus and accidently pop their pretty little heads off!"

Amanda explained, "This move takes a lot of focus and concentration for Ty to pull off. Just even the smallest distraction could cause a mishap. He might end up accidently killing them! And we really wouldn't want that to happen, would we? After all, it'll all be on your head wouldn't it, Mr. Interplanetary Leader! That's right, we know all about you position as the overall ruler of this planet so you must know plenty of Lorecorian history. We also know that you wouldn't allow a person to needlessly lose their life no matter what the cost. So what will it be? Will you come clean and tell us where the Orb of Storm is, or will you continue on with your denial, leaving the poor girls being the ones who pay?"

One of the guards turned to the elderly man, who lowered his head down in shame. "Lord Yun, you can't be serious!"

"I have no choice! As much as it shames me, I refuse to sacrifice young lives, no matter what the cause."

"But-"

"Stand down!" He turned to the fiends before him, "I will cooperate, so as long as you promise not to harm anyone."

Satisfied, Amanda let out a smirk, "Well that was wise decision. I say we can chalk up another one for us."

Ty nodded, "Just another step. Just another step towards our path of-GAH!"

"TY!" Amanda rushed over to her attacked friend, who clutched his stunned hand. Looking towards the source of the blast, her eyes narrowed.

Yun looked towards the same direction as a smile came to his face, "Ah, finally…"

Ty's control broken, the Shrine girls took this chance to retreat inside of the temple as what appeared to be five figures approaching. Red, green, yellow, pink, blue, each dressed in a bodysuit with a matching helmet consisting of their designated color, save for the thick black vertical stripe in their suits as well as black boots and gloves. The most noticeable was the golden plates on their chests. The guards readied their spears to go on the attack. Who knew what the two heathens they were surrounding were capable of.

Viki blinked, both in shock and amazement, "Are they…"

Her companion/captor grinned, "That's right, Power Rangers."

"I know but…" Viki looked down, 'I thought _we_ were the Power Rangers…'

Landing on their feet, the yellow ranger pointed towards the two, "That was a warning shot. Yield now to avoid any further actions."

"You've burned our temples. You've stolen our treasures…" Green listed their crimes, "And now you're attacking innocents!"

"We have come to fight those who are without honor and justice." The red ranger turned to Yun, "Lord Yun, there's no longer need to worry. Head into the temple where it's safe. We'll deal with these miscreants." He turned to one of the guards, "Master Zhang, protect the lord with your life."

With a nod, Zhang and the guards proceeded to escort Yun inside of the temple. Leaving the rangers and the ninjas stared at each other, prepared to act when the other made their move.

Ty sighed, "So much for getting it done quickly…"

"The only thing you're getting done is the hammer of justice dropping upon you!" Yellow declared with righteous fury.

"You've burned out temples…" The blue ranger started…

"You've hurt many people…" Added the pink ranger…

"And you thought you can get away with it?" Green finished.

"Your reign of terror ends here!" Red warned, "Give up now or suffer the consequences."

Amanda scoffed, "Yeah, and who's gonna make us?"

"We will! For we are Truth…"

"We are Justice…"

"We are Honor…"

"We are Hope…"

"We are Faith…"

"By the divine power, WE ARE LIGHT!"

Ty scoffed at the rangers' theatrics, "Tch, comic book lines!"

Amanda agreed, "They expect _that_ to intimidate us? Could they be any lamer?"

"Well Mandy, looks like red and all his girlfriends are lookin' for a fight!" A feigning sigh escaped his lips, "We didn't want to do this, but since they _really_ want us to…"

"I supposed it can't be helped." Amanda raised her left wrist, showing a device with a small disk in place, "After all, it's no longer an option not to fight, right?"

Viki watched as Ty raised a similar device. What were these two planning? Was it an attack or rather was it a… 'No way…'

"It's time to dress for the occasion, won't you say Mandy?" The two ninjas glanced at each other with a grin before fiercely raising their left arm upward with their index and mid fingers extended…

"FIRE STORM…"

Their two fingers still extended, they thrust the same arm forward before bending the elbow, positioning the fingers pointing upward before activating the morphers with the fingers of their other hand…

"RANGER FORM! HA!"

Engulfed by the flamed, the two extended their arms upward as their ranger suits began to materialize. The flames extinguishing, two rangers – One in black, the other in white – stood before their opposition, "POWER OF FIRE!"

All who were around were shocked at the sight of the two Fire Ninja rangers: One black with designs of red flames rising on the side of his body, the other white with pink flames. The green ranger couldn't believe it. It was impossible, there was no way… "They're rangers? Those two…"

"Now's not the time to be distracted. Remember, our priority is to make sure Kaze Temple is protected." Red stated, causing a snicker from the newly-morphed black ranger.

"Protected? You should be more worried about yourself."

"And after we're done with you, we'll take everything, and all that's left." Amanda added, much to Viki's despair. She didn't know what the two ninja rangers were capable of. To be fair, the same went towards the other rangers. She would call Zack and the others for help, but with the girl right next to her, it would put a huge risk to her secret identity, amongst other things as far as this whole situation was concerned. With both scenarios presenting serious consequences, she wasn't sure if the best thing to do _was_ the best thing to do.

* * *

_Next Chapter: _Desiring the Orb of Storm, Ty and Amanda of the Fire Ninja Academy make their attack at Kaze Temple, but the Shine Rangers won't allow that to stand without a fight. When the battle begins to turn into the Ninjas' favor, Viki must decide whether to helplessly stand by, or reveal her identity.

**Chapter 12:** Pride of Fire Storm! Last of the Academy!


	12. Pride of Fire Storm! Last of the Academy

**Chapter 12:** Pride of Fire Storm! Last of the Academy!

Viki watched on as two teams of rangers prepared to face off. Seriously, she knew that there were many teams before hers, but never were there teams at the same time! Especially teams that would fight against each other! Then again, until now there weren't any ranger teams that were doing despicable things like Ty and Amanda were doing now…

"This'll be cake…" His arm extending, Ty once again tried to gain control of their bodies through their shadows. However, it wasn't having much effect. "What the…"

"Your powers won't help you against us! Our ranger suits protect us from any of your dark magic powers." The red ranger informed the black-clad ranger. They've burned their temples, killed innocent people… Their actions would neither be forgiven nor forgotten.

Ty scoffed, "Aw well, just makes things more fun for us!"

"At least I'll get some exercise in," The White Ninja ranger stretched her arms, not taking the five Light Rangers seriously.

The yellow ranger scoffed, "Are these two serious? It's five-on-two! They actually think they have a chance against us?"

"While we may be at an advantage, these two are not to be underestimated." The green ranger reminded her teammate. "Especially given how far they will go…"

"Pride comes before a fall." Red stated, "Don't be arrogant!"

"Oh, did somebody call me?"

The five rangers turned left to see another White Fire Ranger walk towards them, to their surprise.

The pink ranger couldn't believe what she saw, "Another one?"

"Mind if I cut in?" From above, yet another jumped in from the tree branch above, startling the blue ranger.

"Hey, save some for me!" One more jumped over the shocked rangers from behind to join her ninja cohorts.

Behind his helmet, Red's eyes narrowed, now confirming that the two standing before him were the same two from the earlier attack at Aguni Temple. Ty could manipulate shadows while Amanda could multiply herself. This wasn't going to be easy… "So much for five against two…"

"Less talking more hitting!" Yellow rushed forward to attack Amanda, whichever one she was. However, two of the clones jumped in, but so did Blue and Pink.

"You really need to learn subtlety…" Pink complained, prying a kick from one of the clones.

"Yeah, we hardly know anything about this enemy!" Blue added, blocking a punch from another.

"They've been burning our temples and stealing our treasures! That's all I need to know!" Yellow dodge a kick before landing one of her own.

Green's crescent kick attempt was dodged by the original Amanda, who proceeded to connect a pair of black and red tonfa before straightening then extending the bent ends… **"Fire Tonfa, Staff Mode!"** With her newly formed staff, she proceeded to forcefully swing the weapon towards her target, who countered with a weapon of her own.

Blocking with a green and gold crescent-bladed halberd in her hand, Green wasn't going to let this ninja have her way. "What do you hope to accomplish?"

"None of your damn business!"

The two poles continuing to clang upon impact, Green insisted there had to be a way to stop her! She knew she could duplicate herself, but even her powers have limits. An idea came to the head inside of her green helmet as with a monkey flip she parried her assailant overhead. 'Hopefully this will work…'

'What is she up to?' Amanda watched Green twirl her halberd in a circular motion. Much to her surprise, a white orb of light appeared, matching the size of the drawn circle. 'The hell!' The motion stopped with the blade pointed upward, a slight tipped forward was enough to send the orb forward toward its intended target. Thinking quickly, she used her staff to launch herself upward to evade the illuminating attack. A smirk formed under helmet as she landed to her feet. Greenie was going to have to do better than that to pull one on her. Within feeling light on her back, she turn to find herself proven otherwise. "Oh what in the-"

Her mind focused, Green continued her guidance of the blast as she continued to keep Amanda at bay. Admittedly she felt a small hint of sympathy for the renegade, if just a little. She thought she could use her staff to launch herself out of the orb's blast. But what she didn't realize was that she could control it at will. It may require an intense amount of willpower and focus, but its results were worth the effort.

Rolling out of the way of the orb, her visor hid the frustration in Amanda's eyes. She wasn't sure how it was happening, but somehow she was managing to force her into fighting _it_ instead. Every time she moved in close the orb somehow moved just as quick, if not faster than she could comprehend. Landing on her feet from a flip, Amanda continuously flipped backwards into a twist to evade the hindering obstacle, eventually driving it into a nearby river. As a large splash erupted, Amanda watched in shock and disbelief. Just what kind of focus was being put into an attack like this? She probably was taught this from birth. And she thought training at the Fire Ninja Academy was intense…

"What do you intend on doing with the Orb of Storm," Red demanded.

Ty blocked a kick before landing a blow with a tonfa, "That's only for us to know, but we'll take good care of it!" Sweeping a leg, "We'll give it right back when we're finished…maybe."

"That will never happen." Within a wave of his hand, a golden, curve-bladed sword appeared in his hand. "I will never allow one of Lorecora's treasures to fall in the hands of terrorists like you."

Seeing the sword, Viki's eyes widened at its radiant glow. "Amazing…"

"That's the Shining Scimitar." The girl next to her explained. "It's the Red Shine Ranger's primary weapon."

"Ouch…Terrorists? Such a strong word… I prefer 'Extremists' myself, but not that it would matter." With a flip of his tonfa, they now rested on his fists and arms. **"Fire Tonfa, Gatling Mode."** A finger each on a trigger, Ty aimed for his target. "Let's see how you dance!"

With each swing as swift as the next, Red deflected the barrage of bullets from the ninja. With the clanging sound of laser bullets colliding with metal, he knew that he couldn't keep this up forever, as Ty barely had to move to use his weapon. "You will not pass here! I won't let you!"

Ty scoffed, "Really now? We'll just see about that!"

"KYAH!"

"HIYAH"

"TAHH!"

With their weapons drawn, the Yellow, Blue, and Pink rangers parried the tonfa strikes of the White Ranger clones. They expected a 5-on-2 battle, but one of them able to duplicate herself enough to evening the odds? _That_ they should've expected from the information gathered.

With her tonfa combined into a staff, the clone's strikes were parried by the double-headed spear of the Yellow Ranger, "I don't think so…"

Dodging another's strikes, Blue leaped to the air before driving a pair of melon hammers onto the defenseless clone, "We are not to be taken lightly!"

With a pair of Tiger Hook Swords, Pink tripped the third to the ground before landing a forward crescent stomp. "Give up your evil ways!"

The three clones rolled back to their feet as they strike once again. As they did before, the three rangers parried their multiple tonfa strikes with their weapons. Resulting in continuous hits from both sides with neither side ready to yield to the other, especially knowing what was at stake…

"**DRAGON BLASTER!"** Ty aimed what appeared to be a crossbow designed in the shape of a black dragon towards his target, who held his Scimitar in preparation… "You're through!"

"Not yet!" Moving as swift as he could, Red deflected the laser arrows fired. However, the firing rate with the crossbow-like blaster surpassed that of the bullet-firing tonfa. As fast as it was reloading, he wasn't sure he was able to deflect them all. But he had to try. For the Maiden of Light, for all of Lorecora, he had to try!

Ty saw the last arrow deflected from the scimitar, "Wow, that's some endurance you got there! With your skills, you'd make a great addition to our group!"

He scoffed, "I'll never join a group of miscreants who steal and destroy. I'll bring the justice of the divine light on your head!"

"I'd like to see you try!" More arrows deflected, a smirk formed behind the face of Ty's helmet, "You can't keep this up forever! I, on the other hand, can keep shooting all day!"

Deflecting another arrow, Red had to admit that his situation was becoming worse. Fatigue began to take its toll on his body as the arrows seemed to be firing faster and faster. He had to come up with something fast or his next action may become his last.

"Just die already!" Her staff clashing together with the halberd, Amanda's helmet hid a face of frustration. This group of rangers was putting up more of a fight than she'd thought.

"For the sake of my comrades and my people I will not waver!" Parrying the staff away, Green swept the ninja off of her feet before driving the blade towards her. Upon impact, she only felt the penetration of the hard soil as Amanda rolled back to her feet. With a leap, she avoided the sweeping staff from below as the two weapons clashed once more. Within the continuous sound clanging metal, Amanda saw herself at a disadvantage. The green ranger she was fighting was taller and from what she's seen of her strength so far, stronger. Still, the bigger they are the harder they'll fall.

**Hikari-Ryu Seafood Restaurant **

With a light belch, Zack laid back in his chair as he examined the glass that was once filled with soda, now instead left with residue and ice. "That was some sandwich," he sighed.

"This has been quite the delightful meal," Mike admitted. "We should make note to come back sometime after the chaos has calmed down."

Brad poked at the remains of his lobster, glancing towards a young couple who has just seated at a nearby table. Within moments, they were approached by Mikeru. Her long brown hair flowing behind her! His smile widened as he watched her bend over. Her beautiful… shapely…

"Yo, Brad!"

Her long, slender, toned legs… Her shapely bosoms… Her-

"Brad!"

Blinking in response, Brad look and saw not Mikeru, but another waitress dressed in a yellow Cheongsam instead of green. Her hair wasn't even half as long, nor was she just as tall. Shaking his head, "Where'd she go?"

Mike sighed, "He's hallucinating…"

Zack shook his head, "She left a long time ago." He eyed his friend's lobster, "Dude, you gonna finish that?"

Brad defensively pulled the plate towards him, "Don' even think 'bout it."

"Whatever. Let's just enjoy this while we can. God knows what we'll run into the moment we actually get to work…"

"Speaking of which, I've overhead reports of two suspicious figures roaming the area." Mike explained, "To sum it up briefly, all that they've done was burn temples throughout the planet. So far, Kaze temple in the east is the only one that is still standing."

"…I don't think so."

Mike blinked, "What?"

"We're not getting involved. It's their problem, not ours." Zack stated.

"Aw c'mon, Zack!" Brad protested, "Y'really gon' stand by an' let it happen?"

"Look, I'm concerned about the temples, really! But let's be honest: We already have enough problems without making more enemies here!" They get involved, they beat the temple-burners, they'll hold a grudge against them and they're only a fight away from aligning with the Ultima Enforcers, who are already tough enough by themselves! And besides, it wasn't as if the people here were defenseless, right?

"That doesn't mean that we should just stand by and not do anything." Mike reminded, "What good are good men if they do nothing?"

"We're just gonna play it by ear for now. The last thing we want to do is to jump in without getting the whole story and end up causing an intergalactic incident. And we all know how great those are." Zack blinked, overhearing a radio, "Hold on…"

"_Within minutes, two unidentified individuals have attacked Kaze Temple of the East. Reports speculate that this is yet another in the recent attacks of the four great temples. Citizens have been warned to stay clear of the area and to…"_

…

"Oh _now_ yer ready to act!" Brad noted his friend's apparently hypocrisy as the three had hastily rushed outside of the restaurant.

"Yeah, I am. It's one thing to start a fight, but to help those who are in need is another." Zack explained.

"What happen'd to stayin' outta it?"

"I really don't want to make an enemy from this, but if that's what we gotta do to protect, than that's what we gotta do!"

A smirked formed on the green ranger's lips. "Now that's the Zack Ah know…"

"Hopefully the temple's still in one piece…" Mike let out a groan of frustration, not receiving the intended response from his morpher, "Where on earth is Viki at a time like this?"

"She goes off on her own, and now this happens," Zack pinched his nose, "Keep trying to contact her. For now, we need to haul it, _fast_!" Worrying about intergalactic politics was one thing, but it didn't matter who or where you were to help out those in need.

**Kaze Temple**

"Oh man…" Trying to keep her "friend" from noticing her morpher, she covered her hand to muffle its chime. Speaking of whom, she watched the fight intensely as the two teams of ranger continued their ferocious battle. At times she looked as if she was going to jump in, but thankfully she thought otherwise. It was bad enough that she was going to jump into danger, but the fact that she would have to morph and reveal her identity… "Not now guys…"

"What was that?" She turned towards the suspicious girl, who was covering something just as suspicious. 'Oh, that better not be what I think it is…'

"It's nothing…" She lied, trying to avert the topic, "It's just my watch…"

Her skeptical face showed otherwise, "Right…" She was hiding something. Something, from what she saw, could've been much of a help…

"No, it's just a watch a friend gave me as a gift. Shouldn't we be worried about what's going on out there?" Viki pointed towards the Yellow ranger dodging the clone's staff. With both of them as a liability, they needed to be on their guard.

"Right, who cares about your watch?" She decided… that is if it were really a watch… The fate of Kaze was much more important than that girl or her watch would ever be…

'Glad that's over…' Now Viki could resume her original problem. How was she going to contact the others without raising suspicion? And even then, how would she be able to morph, seeing as this vigilant Lorecorian wouldn't let her out of her sight. She wouldn't have long to think about it, as she found herself tackled to the ground. "Hey!"

"Hand it over!" She snapped as Viki tried to cover whatever it was on her wrist, to hide it from her. A watch? Like hell it was…

"No! Get off me!"

"What are you hiding!"

"Give up now!" Green pinned Amanda to the ground with the pole of her halberd as she drove her feet into her abdomen.

"Like hell!" Mustering enough strength, the ninja managed to unleash a kick to knock back the green ranger. Rising back to her feet, it was time to bring it up a notch… **"PHOENIX FAN!"** Appearing in her hand was a strip of white bladed metal at arm length. Within moments, it opened into a half circle as she then used the new weapon to veil her face. "And now to-What the?"

The sound of chattering entering her ears, Amanda turned to see two girls wrestling each other, obviously in the wrong place at the definitely wrong time. With a swift evasion of the Halberd's strike, the white Fire ninja quickly rushed over to the position…

"I said 'Stop!'" Viki managed to kick her assailant away, only to find the last person she wanted to see in front of her, "Oh no…"

"_You!_" Thoughts of her hair entering her mind, Amanda's fury began to build as behind her helmet cloaked a smile. "Oh this is just my lucky day…"

"Eheheh…" Scooting back, Viki watched as Amanda closed her fan. "Hi Amanda, how's it been?"

'And to think I'd put this on the backburner for a while…' In a strange yet satisfying twist of fate, Pinky for some reason was within the area. Why? She didn't know, nor did she care. And add the fact that she now knew her secret as a Fire Ninja, she couldn't allow her to live, now could she? The perfect opportunity for revenge indeed…

There was no point of avoiding it now, Viki concluded, rising to her feet. She already knew that Amanda wasn't in the mood to talk, much less for forgiveness. Not to mention there was a civilian behind her, so she couldn't morph. But that didn't mean she was completely powerless…

Amanda scoffed, "What is this? Don't make me laugh! So what, you're gonna fight me now?"

"What is she doing?" The girl didn't know what to think about Viki! Was she brave for standing up to the heathen, or was she a complete idiot given that she had just seen what she was capable of? Didn't she realize that she was way outclassed?

"Maybe it won't do any good, but I have to try!" Her eyes narrowing, Viki knew that there was no turning back. No running away. Maybe she could occupy Amanda long enough for the girl to get away – And with her speed, it shouldn't even be long at all. It was that moment when she decided to strike…"

"Slow!" With a leap, Amanda swung her fan open as from within three shuriken flew outward in response to the now-morphed tiger's pounce. While none manage to hit her original target, it did hit another…

'Oh no…' The loud screams were near enough to confirm the worst. Turning back, Viki saw where one shuriken landed…

"MIKAYLA!" Hearing the scream, Red turned towards its direction as through the bushes he could see the girl in a curled position, clutching her leg. 'Oh no…' It was then when he saw Amanda – assumingly the original… "Why you…"

"YO!"

He turned around, only to feel a relentless rain of arrows hit him in the chest! "GYAH!"

"LEE!" Green noticed her leader collapsing onto the ground as she quickly ran towards his assailant in black. "That's far enough!" Before she could aim her halberd, a wave of fire blocked her path.

"Pretty unfair, don't you think?" Amanda chastised before turning back towards her current target. She knew that it was _way_ far from their agenda, but the opportunity to make that idiot pay for her defilement was too great to pass up! However… "What the hell?" Within moments, she saw the injured girl being carried off in the air by a Pterodactyl. Cursing herself, her hesitation cost her opportunity, but no matter. It wasn't like she couldn't track her down, later. Anyway…

"Lee's down!" Yellow dodged another kick from a clone. "I'm going to assist him!"

"Oh no you're not!" The shuriken making their impact, the yellow ranger was knocked back as Amanda held the unfolded fan. "You still have business with me!"

"And me…" Another white ranger dropped down, carrying a pair of Fire tonfa.

"And me…" Yet another one dropped down.

"Kami, there's just no end to them…" Pink saw the incoming clones them.

"We can't let them overcome us, Sis! The world is depending on us!" Blue reminded, "Kaze's the last temple that hasn't been burned down."

'Don't tell me she…' Ty saw more and more of Amanda's clones come out from the woodworks. Seeing where this would lead to, he knew he had to end it. "It's been a blast, but it's time to wrap things up!"

The red ranger, Lee, rose back to his feet, "What do you mean?"

A fiery ball of energy began to form within the palm of his hand," Take a wild guess! You seem smart enough to figure it out!"

"!" The realization of Ty's agenda came to Lee's mind within an instant, "…You wouldn't!"

"Considering the stakes? Yeah, I would!" Within those words, Ty fired a blast directly towards the temple's rooftops! As Lee watched the shingles on top become engulfed by the rising flames, his thoughts went towards the safety of Lord Yun and the others. It was bad enough those fiends were burning yet another temple, but knowing that people were still inside…

…

"My Lord, look!"

As if following one of his guard's directions, Yun noticed the incoming smoke from above. Managing to put two and two together, "So they've resorted to that, I see…" He turned toward him, "Zhang, evacuate everyone immediately. We need to leave the temple before-GAHH!"

"LORD YUN!" Zhang quickly pulled the elder man from the falling, flaming debris from above. It had already begun, as many of the temples residents have begun to evacuate. However, at the rate of the falling debris, many exits were sealed off as more and more smoke entering made it harder to breathe.

…

"So you're willing to burn the temple to the ground, even if it means destroying which you came for?" Lee called out Ty, wondering if he would go that far to win.

"Even if the temple is burned down, we can always search the ruins for the Orb of Storm. It may not be pleasant, but at least it'll give us results." Upon sight from a corner of his visor, a smile was hidden behind his helmet, "Then again, it looks like we won't be having that problem…"

Lee saw what the Black Fire Ranger meant as, from above, what appeared to be one of the Shrine Maidens jumped down from the roof of the burning temple. Within a simple tug, the Maiden uniform was discarded, revealing another White Ranger clone.

"Looks like we're pretty much done here!" She informed, tossing the orb into her hand.

Ty snickered, "Alright Red, looks like you got yourself a choice: You can – and I emphasize – try to follow us to get the Orb of Storm back. Or you could be a hero and save your people inside! But I'd be quick if I were you!"

"Some warning: Fire can cause a lot of debris to fall from above! So if you're going for a rescue, you better make it lightspeed!"

Behind his helmet Lee gritted his teeth, "You… You monsters!"

"Hey, we're under a lot of pressure," Amanda responded, offended. "If the roles were reversed you'd do the same!"

"With his people trapped inside, you'd think he'd be more concerned for their safety than chatting with us! Speaking of which… Is it just me or are the flames getting-What the-?"

"What's up?" Amanda soon found the focus of her partner, "Oh you can't be-"

Lee turned to the source of the commotion as from above, what appeared to be a heavy rain of water fell on top of the burning temple, extinguishing the flames in almost of an instant! Was this a sign?

"How the hell did that happen?" Amanda was annoyed. The weather said nothing about any rainfall! She knew! She checked the weather reports! "What gives?"

"There…" Mike placed aside his Hydro Shield as he watched the smoke rise from the now extinguished flames. "That takes care of the fire."

Her eyes narrowed, spotting the culprit, "Identify yourself…"

"You can call me the Blue Sigma Ranger!" He introduced, "And I believe the both of you have done quite enough!"

She scoffed, "Far from it! Girls?"

The clones immediately dropped their current objectives as they turned their attention towards the new arrival in blue. However, the ground began to rumble as a fissure unexpectedly opened, causing the White Ranger clones to fall in…

"What the hell was that?" She soon found her answer as she was hit hard by a green, double-sided axe…

"Mandy!" Ty watched the white-clad kunoichi fly into a nearby tree before he spotted her attacker. "You…"

Standing proudly, Brad tapped his Savage Axe against the palm of his hand, "Surprise!"

Gritting teeth, Ty watched as the numbers game managed to catch up with them. And knowing that Amanda had more than likely worn herself out from those clones she had made, it would be 7-on-1. Saying that this wasn't the best of odds would be an understatement. What he needed now was a distraction. He turned to the since-extinguished building. With the amount of damage the fire might have caused, it should've at least sealed off the exits. However, before his hands could even ignite, from the corner of his visor he saw a number of figures running into the forest. Their white clothing covered in charcoal from the fire. Priests, shrine maidens, guards, with Lord Yun being the last out! "How the-" He did not have long to absorb the possibility of their escape as a figure in red and black instantly appeared, greeting him with two slashes.

"Did you really think you'd pull that off and get away with it?" Zack asked the now-downed ranger, rotating his Flare Katana and catching them in a downward position, "A bit extreme, don'cha think?"

Recovering, Ty closed his fists in anger. The audacity of that guy to pull a cheap shot like that! Going with his better judgment, he turned to his partner, "You alright?"

Amanda scoffed, "I'm still ready to go!" She stated, rejoining Ty, "Just give me a good minute and I'll whip up another-Ugh…"

Ty quickly caught her collapse, "Oh no…" She did it again. She overexerted herself. And given that they now had eight rangers to worry about, it couldn't have come at a worse time. But if there was any good thing that came from this, the Orb of Storm was now in their possession. Clutching her with one arm, Ty was left with no other option…

Shielding themselves from the explosion, both groups of rangers tried to maneuver away the smoke as it dissolved. No trace of either Fire Ranger was left. While they did manage to rescue Lord Yun and the others, this victory was bittersweet at best…

"Damn it…" Fuming, Lee turned towards the direction of the burned temple. They managed to do it again! Now all of the temples were burned, but at least Kaze Temple was restorable.

"POWER DOWN!" Now unmorphed, Zack walked up to the red Shine Ranger, "What's with those guys, anyway?"

"They got it…" He looked up at the sky. "They got the Orb of Storm."

"Orb of Storm?" Brad raised a brow, "What that?"

"One of Lorecora greatest treasures, a great source of power… Now they're all in the hands of those heathens."

"All?" Mike asked, "So there is more than just that one?"

"That's right… There's also the Orbs of Fire, Water, and Earth."

"Still, at least we got the people out of there before it really hit the fan." Zack reminded, "That's a victory in itself."

"That is true…" He sighed. "Still, considering the stakes…"

"Lee, what are you guys talking about?"

Turning around, the red ranger saw the rest of his team returning. "How is everyone?"

"The Lord and the others seem to be fine. The guards will escort him and the other to Shi Castle for protection." Green stated before noticing the three foreigners, "Oh!"

"Well then, seeing that this crisis has resolved for the time being, now's a perfect time to introduce ourselves." Mike explained, "I'm Mike."

"Y'can call me Brad," He saluted.

"And I'm Zack." He finished, "And as you can see, we're Power Rangers, too! But from Earth."

"…_I'm not picking up anything suspicious about them."_ Yellow noted to Lee telepathically. _"I suppose we can trust them."_

"_Very well, then…"_ Within moments the Shine Rangers stood together in formation…

"POWER DOWN!" As their ranger suits vanished, in their place were white ceremonial robes that were decorated with gold patterns in trimming. Save for the black boots.

"I am Lee, member of the Lorecorian Royal Guard and leader of the Shine Rangers." He proceeded to introduce his teammates, going down the line. First, a girl who was around his age. Her auburn hair tied up in braids as her eyes held a stern look, "This is Izumi…"

"Next was a pair of identical twins, each with braded twintails that fell behind their backs. The only difference is that one's braids were longer and thin, while the other's braids were shorter and thick. "Kikoro, Kokoro, and-"

"Mikeru?" Brad blinked as he noticed the final girl. Obviously she was the tallest of the girls on the team, even barely shorter than Lee. She stood there proudly and poised, as he would expect.

"Well…" She gave a soft smile, "We meet again."

"Oh man…" Both Zack and Mike sighed, seeing their Green Ranger reduced to a nervous wreck once again. This was the Hikari Ryu all over again.

"You guys know each other?" Kikoro blinked at the response at hand.

"You could say that." Mikeru smiled.

Brad's stammering was beginning to worry Kokoro, "…Will he be okay?"

Zack rolled his eyes, "He'll be fine…"

"I think I have something that can help." Mikeru offered as she calmly approached her fellow ranger in green. Placing a hand upon the shaking boy's cheeks, "Calm yourself…" The other rangers watch as gradually they saw the nervousness fade away. All was left was an expression of calmness and serenity. "How are you feeling?"

"…Fine, Mikeru…" Brad wasn't sure what she did to him. But whatever it was, it sure relaxed him. Was it some kind of Lorecorian trick?

"That sure did the job," Mike observed. Couldn't help but think how lucky Brad was. "Her technique looks very relaxing."

Zack nodded, "Yeah… Also dangerous…" In the right hands, Mikeru's technique had the potential to become a very dangerous weapon.

As the rangers watched on in admiration, Lee turned towards the direction of the forest. A sigh escaped his lips…

Izumi noticed the worried expression on the face of her red ranger, "Lee, what's wrong?" No response, "If it's about the temples, don't worry! Aside from a few burns, the temple should be restored within a matter of days. Besides, we'll deal with those ninjas soon e-"

"I'm not worried about that…" His tone of voice didn't place the yellow ranger at ease.

"Then what's wrong? Why are you so worried?" She asked, though she already had an idea what, or rather _who_ it was.

"…Mikayla…"

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ Viki and Mikayla are MIA since the battle, much to the worry of Lee, who has witnessed the power of Ty and Amanda of the fallen Fire Ninja Academy. Both teams of rangers quickly search for the Minizords. But will they find them in time before the Fire Rangers do?

**Chapter 13:** Chaos in Kendo! Race To The Hunt!


	13. Chaos In Kendo! Race To the Hunt!

**Chapter 13:** Chaos In Kendo! Race To the Hunt!

"We should be safe here for the time being," Zack stated as both teams of rangers entered the conference room of Astro Base. Kaze Temple may have not been completely destroyed, but the Fire Ninjas have escaped. For the time being, it was best to regroup for now.

"Knowing that Lord Yun is now safe in Shi Castle, now we can find a way to deal with those two fiends!" Mikeru turned towards Lee, his eyes showed a clear hint of distraction. "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing," Lee insisted, but none of the rangers – especially the Shine Rangers – were fooled.

"He's worried about Mikayla – _again_!" Izumi frowned. That girl was going to be the death of him, not to mention this team.

"She's still not answering…" Mike tried once again to establish contact with the missing Pink Ranger, but there was no response. "I'm starting to worry that something has happened to her."

Kikoro closed her eyes, "Now that I think about it, I did manage to get a small glimpse of a blonde-haired girl in the bushes. But then, I saw Mikayla being carried away by a Pterodactyl.

"Sound like Viki," Brad crossed his arms. "S'possible that they're together!"

"Even so, this doesn't excuse her failure to communicate, assuming that nothing has happened to prevent it," Mike frowned.

"Wherever she is, Viki knows how to take care of herself." Zack stated about their Pink Ranger. "…Hopefully."

**Kendo Woods – Southwest**

"Okay, you can –OW! …You can put me down now!" Mikayla called out to the flying dinosaur carrying her as she felt her descent. "Not too hard, now… Just a little…" As she felt the foot of her good leg touch the grass, she put all of her focus into balancing on that leg before sitting down on a nearby tree stump.

Within moments, the Pterodactyl morphed back into human form, "That was a close one…" She sighed, "I really thought Amanda was going to kill us…"

The redhead scoffed, "Yeah… No thanks to you!"

Viki raised a brow, "Excuse me? I'm the one who at least tried to defend herself! You're the one who got a shuriken stuck in her leg."

"This probably wouldn't have happened if you haven't had pissed her off somehow!"

"How was I supposed to know she would be here of all places, let alone as a Fire Ninja Power Ranger?" Viki walked over toward the injured girl, "Let me look at your leg."

"What? No way!" Mikayla refused adamantly, "It was a miracle you didn't drop me in the river!"

"You try flying when you have a pissed off ninja trying to kill you!"

"Look, seriously, it's not that bad! We can have a doctor look at it."

"And let it get infected? I don't think so… Now hold still…"

"It'll be fine, believe me-EYOW!" Pain shooting from the bone of her shin, Mikayla had to suppress tears from flowing from her eyes. As much as it hurt, she didn't think it would hurt _that_ much.

Falling backward onto the ground, Viki rose to her feet as she walked back forward…

"Look, just stop, okay?" Mikayla tried to reason with her, "Look at your hands, they're bleeding!"

"I don't care…" Viki was going to pull that blade out. She was going to remove it from her leg and she would be damned if she didn't. With her resolve, she morphed into a gorilla as she made her attempt once again…

"Look you don't have to do this-YEEOOWCH!" The sharp pain flowing once again, Mikayla watched as the giant simian pulled on the shard. Feeling additional pressure as the gorilla's foot pressed on the leg, she felt that her shin was going to be split into two! Within a few seconds, she felt a sharp relief of pain as the blood-soaked shuriken flew out.

Falling on her back, Viki shifted back as the pain from the cuts on her hands began to register, "Owieowieowieowieowieowieowie…"

"Come here…" Mikayla insisted to the wounded girl as Viki slowly walked toward her, "Hold out your hands…"

"O-okay…" Confused, Viki did as she was told, wondering where this was going. Within moments she felt a soothing sensation enter through her fresh wounds. As she saw a pair of hands glowing above hers in a bright blue light, it felt as if her hands were being massaged from the inside. Like the pain was slowly being drained away. After the glow vanished, all that was left on her palms were the blood where the cuts once were. "D-did you just-"

Mikayla nodded, "Healing… A difficult art to learn, but boy does it sure pay off…" With that said, Mikayla turned her focus towards her leg. Within moments, the wound was closed, only leaving blood and the hole in her jeans where the shuriken made its collision. "Ah, that's better."

"So just like that, you can heal any injury?"

"It's not that simple!" Mikayla explained, "It usually depends on the injury. Small things like cuts, scrapes, and bruises? No problem. But more serious injuries such as broken bones and pulled muscles? It takes more time to do so. All that it really does is speed up the body's natural healing process, so you do have to make sure that the bones are properly aligned. Otherwise, there will be problems."

"Has anyone ever been healed the wrong way?"

"A few times… During my first day of training, I saw a man with a broken leg. One healer was too overzealous, and thus now he has a permanent limp. Anyone can become a healer… Given that they have the dedication for it." She sighed, "Luckily for me, Katsumi had a lot of patience. Odd, considering she managed to learn most of the techniques in less than a week."

"So I guess someone like me could become a healer if I really worked at it?"

"It'll take a lot of dedication and studying, but it's worth it. Once you've become a full-fledged healer, doors began to open up. Do you realize how much in demand healers are these days? Military, Sports, you name it!"

"If that's the case, then it looks like I'll have to-" At the sound of the familiar chime, Viki suppressed a sigh, "Not now…" Deciding against her better judgment, given that Mikayla was a civilian, she answered the call, "Yo!"

"'_Yo?' Is that all you have to say?"_ She heard Zack's scolding voice, _"Where the hell have you been? We've been trying to contact you for hours!"_

"I know Zack, but let me explain! I-"

"You _can't_ be serious!" Mikayla shook her head, refusing to believe what was in front of her. So it _was_ a communication device all this time! But it was too big to be just an ordinary device, or did Earth or Syral launched a new gadget with a built-in phone with _that_ design? Unless… 'No… There's just no way!'

"…_And now we have a situation on our hands here, while you're at god knows where!"_

"Look Zack, we've come across some trouble ourselves and I couldn't answer on account of her there! Secret Identities, remember?"

"…_Yeah, but-Huh?"_ After a brief interruption, _"Viki, that girl who's with you? Her name wouldn't happen to be Mikayla, right?"_

She glanced at the glaring girl, "Yeah?"

"_Alright then, both of you get back to Astro Base immediately. We're planning to settle things once and for all with the Fire Rangers."_

"Okay. Viki out…" The connection breaking, Viki turned toward her new friend, "Looks like we're headed for Astro Base." However, all she saw in her direction was a glare. "What's wrong?"

"All this time…" She shook her head, "All this time, you had a damn communicator we could've used?"

"Hey, it's not like your ordinary communication device!" Viki pulled back defensively! "Besides, you were accusing me of terrorism!"

"Considering all that we had to deal with lately, everyone's suspicious until proven otherwise!" She narrowed her eyes, "Let me guess: You're a ranger, aren't you?"

"W-what? Me? No! Nonono…" Nervousness crept into her voice as she smiled sheepishly. 'Perfect timing, Zack…'

"You are! You're a Power Ranger! And that device on your wrist is a morpher, isn't it?" Silence… "It is, isn't it?"

Sighing, Viki knew that it wasn't worth hiding it now, "Yes, it's true… I'm a Power Ranger."

"If you are a ranger, then why the hell didn't you do something back at Kaze Temple?" Mikayla demanded. Perhaps if she actually did something, like making use of her powers, neither of them would've been injured and her pants wouldn't be ruined! Not to mention Kaze would still be standing!

"Hello? It's called a secret identity!" She replied. "What? You mean the identities of your rangers are public knowledge?"

"Yeah, why not? The Shine Rangers are among the Lorecorian Elite Guard. To be among the selected few, honorable doesn't even begin to describe the prestige. Not anyone can become a Shine Ranger. The powers themselves are passed down from generations to generations, starting from the descendants of the original Shine Rangers. The only time outsiders are recruited is when the bloodline of a descendant ends, leaving a morpher without an owner."

"Wow… Pressure much?" As prestigious as their rangers were, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle all the responsibilities and expectations. "You really know about all of this, huh?"

"You don't know the half of it…" She responded, a hint of bitterness in her voice, which Viki noted. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that Mikayla held a small resentment towards the Rangers of Light.

**Astro Base – Conference Room**

"Viki and Mikayla are on their way here now." Zack explained to the newly-formed coalition of Rangers. "But given the situation, we can't wait for them to arrive. Might as well get started…" He turned to Lee, "So, what do we know so far about this enemy?"

"I know that they're not ones to be underestimated." He explained. "Upon glance at their civilian forms, they were dressed in some type of uniform. They appear to at least be a part of some organization."

Mikeru added, "From what we've witnessed, their arts appear to be fire based. However, they are not without their own individual abilities."

"Organization… Fire arts… Hmm…" Mike stroked his chin. And he could've sworn he saw those helmet designs from somewhere… Unless… "…It couldn't be possible!"

"What couldn't be possible?" Izumi asked.

"Those uniforms you speak of, the fire arts! If I'm not mistaken, those two are from the Fire Ninja Academy!"

"Fire Ninja Academy?"

"Long ago, various ninja schools were established across Earth, each specializing in a specific element. There were originally three: Fire, Thunder, and Wind. However, a space ninja known as Lothor soon began his invasion and one by one he conquered each of the schools until there were very few students left. The Fire Academy was the first to fall, followed by the Thunder and finally Wind Schools. The only ones left were three Wind students and two Thunder students. It took all of their efforts, but they managed to defeat Lothor and rescue the students of the three schools. Shortly after his defeat, more interest was shown in the Power Ranger program as more research and developments were made. Within this time period, the sub classes of Water and Earth decided to break away from the Wind Academy as their respective masters set off to establish both the Water and Earth Ninja Academies.

"Decades later when the Synthos invaded, all of the Ninja Academies joined together as a collective unit to fend off this threat. However, the Synthos proved to be too much as they soon suffered heavy losses. Wind, Water, and Earth's students are down to a handful at best, while the Thunder Academy has been brought to extinction. It was rumored that there were some Fire ninja, but that was always proven to be a myth." Mike pinched his nose, "Given their recent actions, I believe that the academy's concept of honor has been thrown out the window."

"So we're dealing with two renegade ninja with ambition." Izumi scoffed, "Wonderful…"

"Wait a sec! How'd you know all this?" Brad asked accusingly.

"I browsed through the Astro Base's database. Ezekiel is quite the chronicler."

Zack brought the discussion back to the matter at hand, "We may now know who we're dealing with, but we all have our own issues. Particularly those of which that could relate to each other! You're worried about the elemental orbs that the ninjas have stolen from your temples, am I right?"

Kokoro nodded, "Of course now that they have all four of them, they are bound to become more powerful."

"Not necessarily." Lee informed. "While the orbs together are powerful, they are virtually useless without the Blade of Light."

Zack blinked, "I'm sorry, Blade of what?"

"The Blade of Light is Lorecora's most prized treasure. Held at Shi Castle where Lord Yun is currently residing. Alone, it is only a mere sword. But combined with the elemental orbs, it is a blade of unimaginable power. If the ninja get their hands on it…"

"Great…" Zack sighed, "As if we didn't need more to worry about."

"Which reminds me," Izumi gave an accusing glance towards the Sigma Rangers, "What are you guys doing here anyway?"

"We came here to look for the Minizords we've traced here from Earth. Our mission is to make sure that we acquire all the Minizords that's been revealed before the Ultima Enforcers of the Syrallian army can."

"We've already managed to lose three. We 'dun need to lose more!" Brad scratched the back of his head, "They're already strong 'nuff as it is with the Zeo Crystal."

"Syral…" Lee closed his eyes in thought. While they have known what they had done to Vanicoor II, Lord Yun's stance, as agreed within the Galactic Union, was to remain neutral. Earth and Rhynia also held this stance, but nevertheless it has caused various outcries within the three planets. The only thing that was preventing any and all retaliation against Syral was the fear of another war, knowing full well of the aftermath of the last. But if they were looking for any type of advantage prior to declaring war, then it was best to stop them.

"The way I see it, I think we could help out each other," Zack suggested. "We can help you protect the Blade of Light from those Fire Rangers and you could give us a hand in finding the Minizords."

Lee closed his eyes, "This alliance could be beneficial to us. Still, we do not wish to bring outsiders into our matters."

"Look, all we're doing is basically keeping the Fires away from the castle. We're not in any position that would place us into any interplanetary affairs. Believe me, that's the _last_ thing we want to deal with."

Brad added, "Think of us as extra soldiers placed on guard. As soon as 'dem ninjas come over here, we'll take 'em on!"

"Eight rangers against two give us a significant advantage. Nine once Viki returns. But there's also the matter of the Minizords located on this planet. If the ninjas discover them, the result may be just as bad as the Ultima Enforcers laying their hands on them." Mike stated.

"Okay, here's how we'll do things: There are currently only two Minizord signals found on this planet. You help us find them then we'll help protect the blade until the Fire Rangers are run off." Zack extended his hand, "Deal?"

After a second, Lee goes to accept, but pulls his hand back, "We'll help you. But the moment Shi Castle is under attack, we head there immediately regardless."

"Fine by me," Zack accepted.

Shaking his hand, Lee gave a soft smile. "It's nice to know that not all outworlders are heathens."

"Believe me, compared to what we've been through those two are just distractions from the real threat," Zack stated. "Now to decide on who's going to be doing what. I'll go on the search for the Minizords. With my teleportation abilities, I can get there the fastest and back if needed."

"Kikoro, you interested in seeing what a Minizord looks like?" Kokoro asked her twin, who nodded.

"I'll go with Zack." Lee stated. He too was interested in seeing what the Minizords looked like. "Mikeru, you'll take command until I return."

Bowing in acknowledgement, she turned towards Brad, "Would you like to see Shi Castle? Not everyone receives such an opportunity."

Desperately trying to maintain control of himself, he quickly answered, "YES! Yes…" He noticed the stares from his fellow rangers, "What? Like she said, it's possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity! Besides, Ah'd like to see how fortified the place is."

"Hmm…" Mike pondered before deciding, "With that in mind, I too would like to see Shi Castle for myself."

Izumi sighed, given that she didn't have much of a choice, "I guess I'll be going to Shi as well."

"Then it's settled," Zack nodded. The Shine-Sigma alliance was on. Protecting the Blade of Light, finding the Minizords, the rangers would have a lot on their plate. Hopefully Viki would make it back soon. They could use all the help they could get.

**Kendo Woods - South**

"I can't believe you actually did that!"

"_I_ can't believe you're still complaining!" Amanda rolled her eyes before pushing herself free, "And by the way, I can walk on my own! Thank you!"

Ty sighed, "And yet you collapsed on the ground when those other rangers came by. All because you had to overexert yourself – _again_!"

"I'm a big girl! I can take care of myself! I can-Ugh!"

"Mandy!" Quickly, Ty caught her before her head hit the ground, "See what I mean? You can barely stand as it is! All because you had to exceed your limitations!"

Wearily, she scoffed, "Hey, it got us the Orb of Storm, did it?"

"That's not the point! We could've gotten the Orb of Storm later. Those Shine Rangers just caught us off guard. If we had to do it again, we would've planned on dealing with them. And besides, what good are you if you're just going to put yourself at risk?"

"Well…" She gave him a soft smile, "You'll be there to catch me, right?"

Ty rolled his eyes as the two made it back to a campsite. All that was there were a black tent and a few boxes that contained supplies. Save for a nearby log. It was a miracle that they've managed to get away from those rangers in their current condition. They wouldn't dare to strike now. Not until they were back at 100 percent. Case in point, Amanda needed her rest.

Annoyed, Amanda shoved him away, "I know how to walk, you know!"

He scoffed, "You know how to topple, too!" Then sighed, "Look, it's been a long night, so we need to get some rest, especially you!"

"But-" She rolled her eyes, "Fine…" Walking towards a sleeping bag, Amanda spread it out before sliding inside feet first. "So what are we going to do tomorrow? With those new rangers it won't be easy breaking into Shi Castle."

"I'll worry about that…" Ty said, "I'll go scout the grounds for possible escape routes, just to see what kind of defenses to expect."

"And you're going to leave me here all alone, despite just basically telling me how much of a liability I am right now?" She didn't get Ty's logic. Wouldn't that leave her virtually defenseless? Okay, she wasn't _that_ defenseless, but still…

"You'd be more of a liability if you went with me." Ty sighed, "Look, I'm just going for a quick look then head back. Then, we can get some sleep, okay?"

Amanda shook her head, "Fine, whatever… Just don't take too long…"

"Just don't do anything crazy while I'm gone…" Ty leaped off, looking to finish the scouting mission as quickly as possible. Hopefully Amanda would actually stay put – for once.

Watching him leave, Amanda rolled her eyes. She knew he was just thinking about her well-being, but it wasn't as if she couldn't take care of herself! She managed to get the Orb of Storm from Kaze, didn't she? Weren't they equals in this? If so, then why was he still treating her like a little girl? It was bad enough Jocasta treated her like this! Still, at least they would be well prepared for tomorrow. Hardly anyone would be in the woods at this time of night. …Anyone with a brain, anyway.

…But what if there were?

Now that those extra rangers were involved, they would have to look out for them as well. For all she knew, Ty was walking into a trap and could definitely use another pair of eyes to watch his back. What if he was captured? Then she would be next! Her duplication ability aside, eight-on-one didn't sound appealing at all!

Slipping out of the sleeping bag, Amanda moved over towards the small bag near the campfire. Grabbing it, she felt the weight of the four small orbs. These would serve as the key, not just for winning this battle, but to build the foundation of restoring the Fire Ninja Academy to its former glory.

Carefully placing the bag inside the sleeping bag, Amanda set off after Ty. She knew that he would be angry with her, but she didn't care. Better for her to find him annoyed with her than to find him dying in front of her.

**Shi Castle**

Brad wouldn't exactly call himself a weapons expert, but he was familiar with them enough to know how much firepower could decide a battle…

Passing the guards clad in golden armor, the green ranger was amazed at what he had seen outside. Upon each corner on the castle walls were at least three guns mounted on top. Not to mention on top of the castle walls themselves were arbalests. And that was just the bare minimum! More importantly, these weapons weren't just out in the open. There were buried within the castles, not coming out until they were needed. "Wow…"

"Like what you see?"

Slightly tensing, Brad turned as he saw his fellow ranger in green smile towards him. He had since managed to calm himself – and thus stopped looking like a complete fool – while around her. "Ah'll say. Mounted cannons, Arbalests, Machine guns, Turrets… Y'know, for a group that seems to be more magic-based, y'all sure got 'sum real firepower!"

"Just because we rely on the divine light doesn't mean that we cannot embrace technology. However, our true means of defense is our moat."

Brad raised a brow, "Moat? Ah didn't see any…"

"Just watch…" Removing a gold earring, Mikeru held it closely in her hand so Brad could get a close look. Within a toss, the earring flew towards the grassy meadow near the castle walls. Upon impact, the meadow began to disorient as more of the wall could be scene underneath, much to his shock…"

"Sam Hell?" Brad blinked, "You mean that's a-"

"Holographic projection," She explained. "What appears to be a mere grassy plain outside is actually a veil for the dangers that lie below."

"What kind of dangers?" His eyes wide, "You don' mean…"

She nodded, "Let's just say that it will not be a pleasant drop down."

Brad sighed, "Scar-ry…" So much for relaxing outside the castle on the grass… Between the moat and the drawbridge, it seemed that there was only one way in and one way out. To keeping out intruders, that may've been for the best. But what if an emergency required an immediate evacuation?

"Do realize that this is only security measures for defenses outside of the castle. There are plenty of surprises within the castle as well." Mikeru informed with a grin. "I have one surprise in particular I'd like to show you…"

"!" Brad felt a hand placed on his shoulder, "Uhh… Ah think Ah'm gonna go check on Lord Yun…" Was she _trying_ to seduce him?

"I'm just going to show you our traps! There's no need to feel uncomfortable," She assured. She knew that it was wrong to tease him like this, but he looked so cute when he became flustered. Besides, at least his emotions seemed to be genuine, which is always nice to know.

…

"How many guards are on hand?"

Closing her eyes, the Yellow Shine ranger took a minute to think about the number of guards that were on hand. "At least 30… Mikeru made sure that at least five guards were in place at every important strategic area."

Mike nodded, "Then we'll also need to do roster checks by the hour. Seeing that these are ninjas we're dealing with, they're not above planting their own within our ranks."

Izumi sighed, remembering back at Kaze Temple, "That's true… Maybe we need a password system. Just to make sure that the right people are where they need to be."

"That may work. Given that we now know what they're capable of, it is best to come up with a few strategies against them."

"You seem to have everything together," She smirked, "I thought the Red Ranger was supposed to have it all under control."

"While Zack may be our leader, each of us has our own role or contribution on the team. Zack's role is already explained as Brad serves as the strength of our team, being the strongest of the four of us."

"?" She blinked, "Four of you? I mean with you as the obvious strategist, that's only three of- "She shook her head, "Oh right, the girl… What does she do?"

"Hmm…" Mike sighed, "Honestly, I am unsure what she exactly brings to the table…"

"Let me guess: She's basically the weak link, isn't she? The one person that drags the entire team down?"

"I wouldn't exactly call her a burden. But as much as I am fond of the girl, I have to admit her contributions are severely lacking."

"Apparently something both of our teams have in common…"

Mike sensed a hint of bitterness in Izumi's voice. "So you have a teammate with the same problem."

"It's not really a teammate, but she does serve as a hindrance to this team." She sighed, "I love her like a sister, but Mikayla is really starting to annoy me. I mean I understand that he's all she has, but when she starts bringing this team down…"

"She can't possibly be that bad, right?"

"Today when the ninja attacked Kaze Temple, we were doing great before Princess got herself hurt! Thus dividing Lee's attention and that was when it all went to hell!" Sighing, "I don't know, sometimes I just wish she would go away. Maybe then Lee could focus on other things other than worrying what kind of trouble she's getting herself into. …Maybe other people…"

Mike wondered where this sudden burst of resentment was coming from. From the way she put it, this "Mikayla" sounded like some kind of brat. Or maybe, from the sad expression on her face, it was out of envy. As if she wasn't the only one who wanted Lee's attention. Perhaps Brad wasn't the only one who was attracted to another ranger. "Izumi…" He went to console her, but a hand was placed in front of him.

"Just don't…" She simply said. "I know you just want to help, but I don't even need to use my powers to see what you want outta this."

He blinked, "What? W-what are you insinuating?" Did she think that he was looking to…

"I've seen you looking at Kikoro and Kokoro. Just so you know, they're only around 15 in case you were thinking about-"

"What? No! _God_ no! Of all the most absolute ridiculousness, what kind of man do you take me for? I just found it odd for girls so young to be so developed!"

''Odd…' _right_…' She sighed, "Sorry… It's just I've been stressed out lately from this whole mess."

"Don't worry about it. It's been hard on all of us…" Mike could see that this situation was having an effect on her. All of them, given that all of their temples have been burned down by the Fire Rangers. At least they were there to give their fellow rangers a hand. Now if only Viki would get her behind back to Astro Base already….

**Kendo Woods - Southwest**

"How long…"

Blinking, Viki turned to Mikayla, who had a suddenly serious look on her face. "Huh?"

"I said how long have you been a Power Ranger?" She asked, as Viki wondered if she was going to jump her. For whatever reason, she seemed to become worked up as soon as she found out that she was a ranger.

"Well…" She knew that it was no use hiding it, but that didn't mean that she had to tell her everything. "Actually, it hasn't been that long since I got my morpher."

She nodded, "So, you're a newbie at this?"

"Hey, I'm getting the hang of it! Actually, we're all still getting used to the life! Having to worry about when the next attack will be while trying to have a life. All and all, it's been a nice, enjoyable experience so far. I got to meet new friends, learned a few things about myself…"

"Let me guess…" Mikayla interrupted, "That guy you were just talking to. He was your Red Ranger, right?"

She smiled sheepishly, "Yeah… If you were listening, you could've heard how angry he was. Usually Zack's more laid back. Annoyed, maybe but never angry! …Usually…"

"Tch, I wonder why…"

"Then there's Brad. He's a bit rough around the edges, but he's alright! And Mike? He's a real sweetheart! …Though, don't be surprised if he looks at you for a while. He really has a high appreciation for the female body to say the least."

"So this 'Mike' guy's a perv?"

"Not exactly! But expect him to try to charm you…"

"Three, four…" She counted off. Zack, Brad, and Mike… and of course Viki! That was four. "And the fifth?"

Viki blinked, "Fifth?"

"You know… the final member of your team?" From her knowledge, all ranger teams consisted of either three or five people. The Shine Rangers were a group of five, and from the looks of things so were Viki's group of rangers. …At least she thought there were five.

"Oh right… Actually, it's just the four of us." She looked down, "Well, there is another morpher but…"

"Another morpher?" This bit of information grabbed Mikayla's interest, "So you're missing a member? Or rather, you're looking for one?"

"What!" Viki shook her head, "No, NO! We're fine! We're not looking for another member! Besides, even if we were, the morpher we have isn't work-Eeep! Ignore that, ignore that!" She couldn't believe what she just revealed to her. Zack and the others were going to be pissed.

"Interesting…" A thought came to her head as a smile slowly formed on Mikayla's face. This could be the opportunity she was waiting for. "This morpher you're talking about, what if it was to be fixed within the near future?" She saw the blonde hold her hands up, as if she was done with the topic, "Oh come on! It's just a question! We're on the same side!"

"Look, I know you mean well and all, but I've already told you too much! I'm already in enough trouble as it is!" Viki side-glanced toward the Lorecorian, "It's almost as if you want to become a ranger, so much that you're willing to hop on the first team that gives you an opportunity…" She stopped before blinking in revelation. "…You _do_ want to become a ranger, don't you?"

"…"

"Wow… This is… This is wow…" Viki decided to just drop the subject. As night began to come, she knew that it was just best for them to get back to Astro Base. God knew how much trouble she was already in.

"…What's wrong with it?"

"Huh?"

"What's wrong with the morpher? What, is it not working?" Mikayla asked, much to Viki chagrin. "You can fix it, right? Tell me you can fix it!"

"I'm not listening, I'm not listening…" Viki tried her best to ignore, but the sudden grab of her wrist made it impossible. "Ow…Rough much?"

"Quit ignoring me and answer the question!" She demanded before asking again, "The morpher, what's wrong with it?"

Viki sharply pulled her hand back before rubbing the tenderized spot, "You really want to be a ranger, don't you?"

"You have no idea…" She said, looking away as she crossed her arms.

"If you really want to be one that bad, then go to the Shine Rangers! I'm sure they have a spot for one more, right?"

She scoffed, "Please! Like that's gonna happen?"

"Why not?" Viki blinked. As tough as she seemed to be, Mikayla had what it took to be one.

"My brother 'forbade me.'" Mikayla rolled her eyes, "You might've seen him out there back at Kaze."

'The Red Ranger…' Viki turned to Mikayla. "So why wouldn't he let you become one?"

"He says that it's 'Too dangerous' for me. 'The life of Power Ranger is unbefitting for a young girl such as yourself.'" She scoffed, "Seriously? I think I know how to take care of myself!"

"Hmm…" Viki closed her eyes, "Maybe there's an age limit?" She's heard that many Power Ranger teams consisted of teenagers that were around 15 years old, but given the threats that have escalated over time, it would be understandable if they wanted to bump up the age a bit.

"Like hell there is!" Mikayla ranted, "Kikoro and Kokoro are rangers, yet they've just started high school! I wanted to become a ranger since I was 13! I called Lee out on his crap, and he said 'Their bloodline said so, so they're rangers.' I mean Kikoro and Kokoro are nice girls and admittedly are worthy of the powers, but let's face it! I wouldn't need my super speed to take both of 'em."

"Come now, that's not the attitude a ranger should be having, right?"

"I know, it's just…" Mikayla sighed, "It's these double standards Lee keeps throwing at me. He knows I'm more than worthy of becoming a ranger! Hell, I could probably do _his_ job if given the opportunity. But he's not just annoying me with that. It's at school, it's in town… I mean, do I look like I'm made out of paper machete?"

"Your brother's just looking out for you. I'm sur-"

"Do I look like I need to be looked out for?" From Viki wincing, Mikayla may have realized that she may've overreacted. "Sorry, but it's just so damn frustrating! I know Lee's looking out for what's best for me, but could it hurt him to give me _some_ credit? I mean I'm not a delinquent, I make good grades, I keep my nose clean… Could he at least acknowledge that I'm at least smart enough to keep out of trouble and to make my own decisions?" She threw her hands up, "Gah, why am I telling you this… Like you could do anything…"

"Mikayla, wait! You don't know where Astro Base is!" Sighing, Viki watched as the girl stormed off. She understood how annoying it was to be not taken seriously. At times she even felt that the guys didn't really think much of her abilities. Not that they wouldn't have any justifications… Still, there had to be a better way to resolve this.

**Kendo Woods – South**

"I can't believe that girl…" Swiftly moving among the tree tops, Ty made his advance towards Shi castle. The original plan was to invade only a few hours from the crack of dawn. That way, the guards would still be asleep or possibly fatigued from sleep deprivation, depending on who was on patrol that night. Their unpreparedness would give the both of them the advantage. Now that this planet's team of rangers were on patrol, let alone with another group of rangers it wouldn't be as simple. The fact that Amanda managed to wear herself out didn't help matters at all.

Amanda wasn't a good ninja, but a great ninja. Ty knew that very well. After all, she wouldn't we wielding the White Fire Morpher, just like he wouldn't be wielding the Black Fire Morpher if he wasn't the best from his class. She knew where to find and exploit an enemy's weak point. There were times where she could be cruel, even when there was no need. But this was a cruel world. Only the strong would survive, and the weak would be devoured by the strong. And given that this very world liked to throw every curveball possible, it was handy to know how to "cheat" the system as well.

Ty shook his head. If there was one thing Amanda lacked, restraint would be it. Granted, she would say that he had enough for the both of them. But what good would that do when she was dead, especially at the rate she continued to create clones of herself? Though to be honest, he wouldn't exactly blame her. After all, her clones could be very useful, much beyond the ability to multitask to a whole new level. For each experience a clone gains is instantly transferred to the original once it vanishes. With 12 clones, Amanda could complete a year's worth of training within a month. Not to mention when a group is needed rather than individuals. But there was a serious drawback…

As producing clones require energy, Amanda could only produce so many before it starts to tax on her life force. Producing up to five clones was one thing. Ten was okay. 15 clones was pushing it, but 20? From the last battle with the Shine Rangers showed, her condition was starting to get worse as she was prone to fainting after heavy use of her abilities. He respected that she wanted to improve her ability in using her powers. But what was the point of that if it ended up killing her?

"The scanner says that it should be close!"

"Hmm?" Hearing the voice, Ty moved in to get a closer look… "Well well well… What do we have here?"

"So what do you think they look like?"

"I think that Mike guy mentioned that they look like small animals." Kokoro perked up, "Maybe it's a small bird! Please let it be a bird!"

"I'm hoping for it to be a kitty myself! Whatever it is, I hope it's really cute." The twins walked closer towards a large tree as the blinking of the blip on the tracking device began to increase. The Minizord was close and closer. "We're getting close! I can feel it! Isn't this exciting Kokoro? …Kokoro?" No response. Turning around, "Kokoro, are you listen… -ing?"

The girl in question was frozen within her steps. Almost as if she couldn't move a muscle, as the frightened expression on her face showed. "I… I can't…"

"Kokoro, what's wrong? KOKORO!" All Kikoro received was a sarcastic response in a form of applause. Turning towards the source of the sound… "You!"

"Bravo Miss Shine Ranger! Bravo!" Ty commended, "You seem to catch on well!"

"After what you've done to Kaze, you have some nerve showing your face, Heathen!"

"Ouch, that hurt! Anyway, I heard from a small source that there was something pretty valuable around in this forest."

"Whatever your business is, you'll never lay your hands on this Minizord!"

"Kikoro!" Her sister cried as her captor raised a brow in fascination…

"Minizord? Interesting…" He stroked his chin, "I have to say, I'm intrigued."

"Bastard… Let my sister go right now!" Kikoro reached towards her morpher.

"I'm curious…" He gestured as within an instant, Kokoro's hands quickly clutched onto her neck! Much to her own shock… "I wonder if her neck's strong enough to withstand her own force."

"KOKORO!" Kikoro watched as her sister began to gag. Her hands squeezing hard as she desperately tried to fight against the pressure. She was slowly beginning to suffocate… "YOU MONSTER!"

"Looks like today's not your lucky day! You have a choice to make: Fight me and keep me from this Minizord, or surrender and save your sister's life?" In truth, Ty loathed using this type of tactic. In his mind, it was only suitable for cowards and dishonorable cretins and the Fire Ninja were above all of that. However, given their situation, they needed all the power they could acquire. And keeping their honor wasn't going to cut it. Besides, Kikoro could easily save her. All she had to do was stand down…

**Kendo Woods – Northeast**

"The Minizord should be just around this area." Zack explained, examining his scanner. While this device was accurate, it didn't exactly pinpoint its exact location. Only the area. Thus, a lot of digging and searching was required. However, time was of the essence and he wanted to find this Minizord before the Fires decide to rear their heads again.

"Kikoro and Kokoro haven't checked in yet." Lee stated, "I'm worried."

"Calm down. Maybe they're so excited in finding a Minizord that they didn't think about calling. It happens. They'll be okay."

"…It's not them I'm worried about."

He sighed, "Let me guess, Mikayla right?"

"That girl… I told her to go into the city and do whatever she needed to do, then go straight home. And what does she do? She goes to Kaze, knowing full well about the temple attacks lately and she gets hurt! How am I supposed to do my job if I have to worry about her every day?"

"Have you thought about making her a ranger, for her to see what you have to go through every day?"

He scoffed, "Out of the question. I'm trying to keep her out of danger, not putting her into it by throwing her out in the front lines!"

"But still, you should relax. Besides, Viki's with her. She should be okay."

"Considering that she got hurt on her watch, I'm not exactly convinced."

'This is going nowhere…' Zack shook his head, "Anyway, let's just find the Minizord and get back. For all we know Viki and Mikayla could already be back at Astro Base."

Nodding, Lee decided it was best to focus on the task at hand. The sooner this Minizord debacle was put to rest, the sooner they could get back to guarding Shi Castle. Upon a few steps, they both stopped at a particular site… "Is that…"

"Well, the scanner shows that it's within this area." Zack stated. Before the both of them was a campsite that consisted of a campfire and a used sleeping bag. Not to mention a few boxes of supplies. "You think anyone's still around?"

"We won't know unless we go find out." Lee slowly moved towards the area. However, unbeknownst to him, his foot stepped on a type of switch cloaked by the grass, dirt, and leaves. "!" Within moments, a soft, whining ring emitted around the area.

"What the-?" Zack blinked, hearing the soft sound, "What happened?"

"I don't know…" Lee narrowed his eyes, "Be on your guard." Within the words of that statement, as if in an instant, hordes of figures suddenly appeared around the two. Each thin individual was dressed in a black bodysuit decorated with a white barbed wire design, wielding either a sword or a club. Perhaps the most notable of all about them were their heads: Each white with a black face adorned with a red s-shaped centipede-like design, save for the black dreadlocks that sprouted out like stems of a radish.

Zack sighed, "This isn't good…" Just when they thought the Minizord was in their grasp, _this_ happens…

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ Mikayla and Viki manage to make it back to Astro Base as Mikayla and Lee share a not-so-enjoyable family reunion. The rangers finalize their preparations to defend Shi Castle as the Fire Rangers prepare their assault for the Blade of Light!

**Chapter 14:** Dusk Before Dawn! The Assault at Shi Castle!


	14. The Assault at Shi Castle!

**Chapter 14:** Dusk Before Dawn! The Assault at Shi Castle!

"What are these things?" Lee saw the strange, swarming figures surrounding himself and Zack. He had no idea where they came from, but he was sure it had to do with this camp. Did this campsite belong to the enemy? Was it all a trap?

"No clue, don't care! All I know is that they're trouble!" Zack replied, preparing for battle.

"Okay… Any ideas?"

"…Do you have to ask?" These enemies were unknown and were armed with weapons. It was unwise to take any chances…

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

"SHINING LIGHT, SPIRITS UNLEASH!"

Now morphed, the two red rangers began their defense against the surrounding enemies. While the enemy had the advantage in numbers, the resolve of the two rangers were enough for them to stand a chance…

Dodging a few slashes, Lee landed a few hits with his Shining Scimitar. "Let's see how you handle this!" The blade of his sword beginning to glow, he raised it before executing a sideways slash with a spin as gradually he drew in the invading enemies. After the last was taken care of, he posed in place, satisfied at his own handy work.

"Card 1, Execute!" Watching as he landed each of his Flare Katana onto an enemy, Zack can't help but be impressed with Lee's skill. Regardless, he wasn't going to be outdone. "Check this out." Attaching the swords together by the hilt, Zack felt the energy seep into the weapons as the blades were soon set ablaze. Within a swift motion, the blade began to circle around its wielder, taking out all who stood in its way. Catching it in his hand, a smile of satisfaction was hidden behind his helmet.

'Hmm…Not bad…' With each hard swing, a burst of energy fired from the blade hitting all that ran into its direction. Then, as to add the exclamation mark, he made one last hard overhead slash as an airwave of golden energy rushed through. Taking out an entire line of enemies, "They're putting up a good fight."

"Too good of a fight, if ya ask me…" Both swords held in the reverse grip, Zack skewered both creatures through the torso from behind. The two red rangers continued their battle against this unknown enemy as more and more of the troops fell. However, as many of them they were able to defeat, more and more continued to appear in their place! It wouldn't be long before the numbers began to overwhelm them.

"Damn it all…" Lee gritted his teeth as sliced down two more enemies. "For every one we cut down, three more step in and take its place!"

"You're telling me…" With a butterfly twist, Zack sliced down another one as he narrowly dodged a club strike. "They keep coming and coming and coming! All we're doing is just wearing ourselves out!" He shook his head as more entered the fray, "Damn it, this is suicide…" It looked like they would not be getting this Minizord this time… Sighing, Zack rushed towards Lee as within a hand on his shoulder, both rangers were gone. Leaving the dreadlocked creatures in their own confusion…

"What the hell?"

Having a sense of foreboding, Amanda quickly returned to the campsite as she saw the creatures. "Damn it, judging by the amount of Kelzaks we must've had uninvited guests…" Pulling out a handheld device from her jacket, with a press of a button the creatures instantly disappeared. Sighing, "Least everything seems to be intact." The question now was who was it that came by? Was it those other rangers? Was it even Viki and her friend? From the unanimated collapsed bodies of the Kelzaks, whoever did this must at least knew what they were doing.

**Kendo Woods - South**

It was like a nightmare…

Her body having betrayed her, Kokoro could only stand by as her sister was at a stalemate. What was worse, her death was not to be cause by battle or by an attack, but by her own hands. Her neck squeezed between the thumb and index fingers on each hand pressing onto her throat, it took all of her focus to keep her windpipe open to breathe. But from her adversary's hold on her, that task seemed to become harder and harder to do…

"So, do we have a deal? Or does your sister's life mean nothing to you?" Ty asked. He knew that this went against everything he learned at the Fire Ninja academy, but with the fate of their academy, their history, their entire legacy on the verge of extinction, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Her eyes being the only part of her body not under his control, Kokoro glared at the man in black. Now she was to be used as a tool. As a bargaining chip in this act of terrorism! She wanted to tell her sister not to worry about her. She wanted to scream at Kikoro to refuse his demands, grab the minizord, and call for backup. All she was at this point was a burden that would just get in her way. She may fall, but there would be others who would take up her mantle.

"…Okay."

"What?" Kokoro's eyes widened. She couldn't possibly…

Smiling, Ty raised a free hand as he pointed, "Well then, lead the way."

"…If I lead you to the Minizord, you'll let my sister go?"

Ty nodded, "You have my word."

"Can I trust your word?"

"Can you afford not to?" Ty reminded as the grip around the young girl's neck tightened. "I doubt _she_ can…"

Kokoro's face was beginning to turn blue, not sure if she could keep this up. Glancing at her scanner, Kikoro quickly moved toward the destination of the blip. Within a few steps, she approached a rabbit burrow. 'This must be it…' Carefully reaching inside, she felt a hard, crafted object as within her grasp, she pulled it out form the hole. Examining her palm, the crystal-like object began to glow… 'Maybe I can use this opportunity to get us both out of this mess…' As the flash began to emit from the object, Kikoro narrowed her eyes, turning toward the Fire Ninja…

…

…

"!" Her eyes widened. It was supposed to be a simple task. Use the bright flash as a cloak as she took out Ty. However, it seemed that he was a step ahead of her, as in this moment, she found herself unable to move… "…B-but you gave your word!"

"I gave my word that I would let her go." He said, eyeing the crimson-colored Rhinoceros Beetle on his shoulder. "But I don't believe we ever mentioned _when_ I would let her go when discussing the terms of your cooperation." He said to the girl, now under his power. "My my… Twins both under my control," he mentioned. Kokoro has since been released from her own choking grip, but both sisters were now under his control: One within each hand. "There are several different things I could do with you both right now…" He noticed the fear in their eyes, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. But I will, however, restrain you for the time being." Ty wasn't stupid. If he were to leave now, the girls would contact the other rangers. And given that Amanda was still recovering, it would've been eight-on-one. Only a complete idiot would take on those odds head-on…

**Astro Base**

"POWER DOWN!" Sighing, Zack turned to Lee, "You alright?"

"Just what were those things?"

"No clue… Whatever they were, they seemed to be well-trained. Almost as if they were expecting us…"

Lee shook his head as his communicator indicated no response, "Neither Kikoro or Kokoro are answering…"

"Maybe they decided to get something to eat? It's been a long day."

"I'll feel better when I know that they're safe and sound by my own accord."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Zack activated his own communicator, "Mike, any sign of Kikoro or Kokoro?"

"_We haven't seen them since we departed from Astro Base."_ He responded. _"Is something wrong?"_

"They haven't checked in. And Lee's worried. Not to mention that we failed to get the Minizord do to an attack by some dreadlocked creatures.

"_Dreadlocked creatures?"_

"These guys were armed, not to mention there were waves of them to the point where it felt like there was no end to them. It was either running or wearing ourselves out."

"_Interesting… It seems we may have another threat to watch out for."_

"Make sure the security is tight. I don't want a fly to even reach the castle walls without my knowledge."

"_Not even a single grain of pollen will make it through."_

"Keep your guard up. As soon as Viki and Mikayla arrive, we'll all meet you there." Breaking transmission, "You contacted the twins?"

"Still not answering…" Lee ran his hand through his hair, "I take it they didn't arrive at Shi Castle?"

"No dice. Looks like we'll have to go-" The sound of a door hissing cut him off. "This better not be those creatures or I'm really gonna raise hell!"

"Take it easy, Zack, it's just us!"

Having dropped into a defensive stance, Lee blinked as he spotted a long, familiar strand of knee-length hair, "Mikayla!"

"Lee!" The girl in question walked over towards him as Viki followed, heading towards her Red Ranger.

"Zack, what happened?" The blonde asked, "What kind of creatures you're talking about?"

"Not sure what they are, all I know is that there were too much of them! Damn…" He shook his head, "Couldn't even get the Minizord. Anyway, you okay?"

"I'm fine… Nothing that can't be healed, that's for sure." She looked around, "Where are Brad and Mike, and the others?"

"They're all at Shi Castle. And that's where we're headed. That's where those Fire Ninja Rangers are going to strike next."

The siblings faced each other as the weary, tired eyes of the sister stood before the stern ones of the brother. For a minute or so, not a word was said between them…

"…"

"…"

"You've caused quite a lot of trouble today…"

She blinked at that response, "Excuse me?"

"You were to head to the mall and back. But instead you came to Kaze Temple, knowing full well of the risks, and you got hurt!"

"I'm better now, as you can see!" As if to put emphasis, she place out her formerly-injured leg as she spread out the hole in her jeans to display the dried blood around the now-nonexistent wound.

"Yes, only because of your healing abilities." Lee shook his head. Wondering if was a good idea for her to have learned how to heal after all, given the results. "That still doesn't change that what you did was reckless and you were lucky that shuriken to the leg was the only thing that happened to you. And what's worse? Your recklessness placed _her_ in danger!" He scolded, pointing towards Viki.

"She's a ranger, Lee! She can handle herself!"

"And a good job she has done, given that you got injured under her watch in the first place."

Mikayla threw her hands up, "I don't have to take this." However, her wrist was grabbed, causing her eyes to narrow. "Let go."

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Home, where else?"

"After today? I don't think so."

"Watch me…" As she tried to speed off, Lee was quick to stand in her way. No matter how fast or which direction she would go, Lee always managed to cut her off. Neither Zack nor Viki said anything, believing that this was a family affair not to get involved in.

"You've already caused enough trouble." He continued to block her attempts of leaving, "You'll be staying here on this ship for tonight where I at least can take comfort knowing you won't get into any more."

Seeing that this would be a fight that she could not win, she let out a loud growl out of frustration, "YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!"

As she stormed off toward a room, Lee let out a sigh, "Sorry you had to see that."

Zack heard the door hiss shut. "Eh, it happens. Still, we need to see what's with the 'Koro twins." Turning towards Viki, "Make sure Mikayla's alright while we're gone, okay?"

"Zack, wait!" She tried to stop the two from leaving, "There's something you need to know about the-"

"Whatever it is, it can wait. Check on Mikayla. Make sure she doesn't do anything crazy!"

"But Zack! You need to here this! It's about Ty and Amanda! They're the ones who attacked Kaze!" She tried to shout, but they were both long gone. All that was left was to check up on their "guest" for the evening. "Great…"

**Kendo Woods – Northeast**

"At least they didn't wreck the place…" Amanda sighed as she examined a metallic device. It was the trap that was placed within the area the moment she and Ty decided to set camp here. It was set to where if it were pressed it would prompt a remote command from her handheld device. Speaking of which, the amount of Kelzaks that were generated caused its power to be low. And given that there weren't any power outlets nearby, she would have to rely on the battery-powered generator. She knew that it would risk using up all of their standby power, but it was more important to have a full-powered palm pilot at full capacity.

Sitting down on top of a stump cross-legged, Amanda watched the device began its charging. It was fortunate that they didn't grab the Elemental Orbs. Tomorrow's invasion was already going to be taxing as it was without that possible detour. With the back of her right boot knocking against the stump, the shockwave caused for a particular object to move. After a few more kicks, the object tumbled down from the miniature hill down towards the planted foot. Upon impact, a bright light began to emit…

"What the?" Looking down at the source of this development, Amanda quickly jumped from her seat as she shielded her eyes. As the size of the flash increased, she prepared herself to morph. While this could be as minor as a swarm of fireflies, she wasn't going to take any chances…

…

The flash dissolving, still in a defensive stance, Amanda slowly approached toward the source of this sudden illumination. She was absolutely in no mood for a fight, but she wasn't going to let any invaders have their way. After a few steps, she watched the mixture of grass, leaves, and dirt move below her. "…The hell?" Kneeling down, she reached for the moving bundle as within her grasp, she felt a metallic like object. Quickly pulling it toward her, she quickly brushed off the dirt and leaves that covered it, revealing what appeared to be a dark blue Hercules beetle. "What…is this?"

"So you got one of those, too…"

Hearing that voice, she quickly turned around, "Ty!"

The other Fire Ninja ranger jumped down from a tree branch, smiling as a rhinoceros beetle was perched on his left shoulder. "Looks like you made a new friend."

"And to think this was inside of a tree stump…" Amanda pointed towards the crimson-colored creature on his shoulder, "Where did you get that anyway?"

"Let's just say that our old friends were nice enough to tell us. I think they call them 'Minizords.'"

"Minizords?" Amanda asked, puzzled, "So what are they? Miniaturized version of Zords that could still fight?"

"No clue. I tried getting the information out of the wonder twins, but even they didn't know. Still, I bet we still can get some good money for these on the black market."

She scoffed, "Screw that mess! For all we know, these could be very useful to us. Maybe 'Cas knows."

"We'll have to wait till we return back to Earth. So, anything happen while I was gone?"

"Other than someone tripping the Kelzak wire, not really… Right now, the charger's being put to use to make sure everything's ready for the invasion. Speaking of which, how's it looking?"

"As expected, our acquisition of the orbs has cause security to increase tremendously. Not to mention that those other rangers are now guarding the place as well," He informed. "Probably how those twins learned of those Minizords…"

"Terrific… Looks like we'll have to be very careful with this. Infiltration will be the key…"

"We can worry about the details later. C'mon Mandy, let's get some rest."

She yawned, "Way ahead of ya…" They would only have a few hours of rest before they would have to prepare the attack. With the Kelzaks under their control, as well as excellent planning and strategies, there no way the Shine Rangers could defeat them. Even with those other rangers assisting them, they still stood no chance against the might of the Fire Academy.

**Astro Base**

"Mikayla!" Knocking on the door, Viki tried to reach out to the angry Lorecorian, but she just wouldn't budge. She figured that she and her brother had issues, but not to this extent. "Come on, open up!"

"Go away!"

"…You know that this is _our_ ship, right?"

"So don't care!"

"This is impossible…" Zack told her to take care of Mikayla and to make sure that she would be alright. But she was making it difficult. If only Mike would've told her the override command earlier… Rolling her eyes, she scoffed, "What am I doing…"

On the other side of the door, her knees tucked onto her chest, Mikayla wasn't in any mood to see anyone right now. Least of all, her brother! To say that she should've known it would've come down to this was an understatement. Whether if it was about the way she dressed, her hobbies, or even how she did things, it was as if Lee couldn't go a day without criticizing her! Now all she wanted was to be left alone so she could think. However, within a few beeps and blips, the sliding door gradually opened, revealing a familiar, platinum-blonde girl. "H-how did you?"

"It's called an override command." Viki stated, grateful that Mike wasn't too busy at Shi Castle to tell her the codes.

"Good for you," She snarked. "What part of 'Go away' do you fail to comprehend?"

"What part of 'this is _our_ ship' do you?" Viki took a seat next to her, "So, what's wrong?"

"Take a wild guess…"

"…Your brother right?"

"It's just…" She shook her head, "I just can't believe him. I mean you saw what happened back there!"

"You guys really have some issues, huh?"

Mikayla scoffed, "That's the understatement of the century. It's like nothing I do is good enough. Every time I do anything right, he finds something else to criticize. I make dinner? I didn't cook it the right way, or I didn't use the exact amount of ingredients. I get good grades? It doesn't matter since it wasn't straight-As! There's nothing in the world that could please him, let alone convince him that I can take care of myself and I can handle responsibilities!" Closing her eyes, "Sometimes I wonder if he sees me as just a burden… Ever since our parents died, Lee changed that day. He knew that all the responsibilities fell to him, to take care of both of us. I wanted to help him, so he wouldn't have to face it alone. But he told me that was not my concern. He said that all I should focus on is myself. But if that meant him becoming a judgmental, critical douchewaffle, then forget that." She sighed, "I wonder if he thinks I'm able to do anything right…"

"…So that's why you want to become a ranger." From the short time she had her morpher, Viki has learned that being a ranger was a big responsibility and that it would come with sacrifices to be made.

"I figure if I could become one, then I could prove to my brother once and for all that I am responsible, that I can take care of myself!"

"I understand where you're coming from. I mean the life of the ranger is so exciting! I mean the cool outfits, the awesome weapons! Not to mention all the amazing things you'll be able to see and experience! Also the people you meet as rangers! I've only seen Zack and Brad around school occasionally before we became rangers, now I'm starting to look at them as if they were my brothers. And though I've only known him for about a few weeks, I'm starting to see Mike as one, too." Shuffling her feet, she let out a sigh, "But do you really want that burden?"

Mikayla blinked, "Burden?"

"As much as being a ranger can give you, it can also take from you as well." Viki explained, looking down at her shoes, "A week ago, I had switched bodies with one of our enemies. I was imprisoned aboard their space station while the enemy posed as me, ruining my reputation among everyone in school. When I got my body back, it turned out that I stole a necklace. Not to mention how I nearly ruined my grade for a class. Thankfully, Zack, Brad, and Mike were able to convince the dean that it was all a part of a potential movie role that I was preparing for, but the damage has already been done. All of my friends in drama club are angry with me. And now the boy that I like, the guy who I was working with on the project, wants nothing to do with me. I mean no matter how many times I tried to apologize, he wouldn't budge. It seemed that the amount of progress that I made with him over the weeks was shattered after that moment."

Eyes widened, Mikayla's was in disbelief of what she just heard. Was this possibly what could happen to her as a ranger? Did people have the means to switch minds with others? If what she was saying was true, then the life of the ranger could be a risky one as well. Admittedly, she could understand why Lee wanted to keep her away from a morpher.

**Shi Castle**

"I must once again thank you for coming to our aid during out time of need."

"It's our pleasure… Er… Lord Yun." Brad stated as he and Mike knelt down before the throne.

"As long as the Fire Rangers remain on this planet, Sigma Force will remain in your service to defend against them." Mike vowed, as Brad noted that he had an easier time talking to the Planetary Leader of Lorecora. Either he had more experience with this type of stuff or he was a natural. Either way, the blue ranger seemed to have an easier time with this between the two of them.

"Then we are in your debt. I trust that the Shine Rangers have already informed you of the importance of the Blade of Light."

"Indeed my lord. From our understanding, the Blade of Light holds tremendous power when combined with the four elemental orbs. If it were to fall within the wrong hands, the results would be catastrophic."

"While that may be true, it is also the history itself that makes it so important." Yun proceeded to explain, "Long ago, when Lorecora was still far from becoming established, a war broke out between the four nations: The land of fire in the east, the land of water in the west, the land of earth in the south, and the land of wind in the north. However, a mystical swordsman by the name of Sun Kai forged a mighty weapon with tremendous power. Its power drew from the four elements and was said to be able to destroy mountains within a single strike. It would come to be known as the Blade of Light. With this weapon, Sun Kai ended the wars at the behest of the people who continued to suffer. It was then where a treaty was made between the four nations. Shortly after, Sun Kai passed on, and his sword became the object of desire for many. Tyrants, pirates, conquerors, many would come from all over to retrieve it for their own purposes. Realizing that its power was too great to go unchecked, Quan Otashi, a talented sorceress, performed a ritual that separated the sword's power and placed them into four crystal orbs.

"So that's where the Elemental Orbs come from?" Brad asked in confirmation.

Yun nodded, "Each of those orbs was taken by each of the corresponding leader of the nations. Not too long after, temples were built as a shrine for the orbs, to be guarded and protected: Honoo Temple for the Orb of Fire, Mizu Temple for the Orb of Water, Chikyū Temple for the Orb of Earth, and Kaze Temple for the Orb of Storm. As for the sword itself, while it was now an antique, it was still crucial to protect it from the wrong hands. To this day it remains within the walls of Shi castle. Currently, all Elemental Orbs are in the Fire Ninja's possession. If the orbs were to reunite with the Sword of Light, then the results would be catastrophic.

"Lord Yun, as long as we draw breath, I vow that we will protect the sword with our lives." Mike declared, "While we may be outsiders, terrorism is one thing we will not tolerate."

"We won't let those Fire Rangers have their way with the sword, Ah'll tell you what." Brad declared, "There's no way in hell they'll overcome this alliance."

"I thank you, Sigma Rangers." While their enemy may be devious and deceptive, they were without one thing: Honor. And with both teams of rangers stationed at Shi Castle, the Fire Ninja will soon pay the price for their audacity. Yun smiled, this would be a great day for Lorecora.

**Kendo Woods – South**

"Find anything?"

"No sign of them…" Lee sighed. With his speed, it didn't take long for him to search the area. However, the twins were nowhere in sight. "You?"

"No dice." Zack informed, "Either they're playing the longest game of hide and seek, or something happened." From seeing the worried look on his fellow red ranger's face, he regretted those words. "I'm sure they're okay. They could be-"

"Let's just find them. The sooner we get back to Shi Castle, the better."

Zack raised a brow, "You alright? …You're still on edge from… y'know…"

Lee shook his head, "That girl… Go to the mall and go home, that's all she had to do. What's the difficulty in that?"

"Maybe you were a bit too hard on her." A glare was what he received in response, "Look, all I'm saying was maybe you were a bit too stern with her."

"Knowing how irresponsible she is, it's impossible not to be! It's the only way she'll listen! Now I'm wondering if her learning to become a healer were such a good idea…"

"Why would it not be?" Zack was confused. Wouldn't knowing how to heal others as well as yourself come in handy, not to mention being a lifesaver?

"It was to keep her occupied, to keep her out of trouble. Now it seems that it has made her even more reckless. As if she didn't have to worry about any danger, believing that she could just heal her injuries."

"Well she'll get a lot practice in, that's for sure."

Lee glared once more, "You're not helping."

Zack held his hands up, "Look, all I'm saying is that the more she heals the better at it she'll be. I mean she's awesome at it, am I right?" A frustrated sigh indicated that this debate was pointless. "Anyway, calm down. You're more functional when you're not stressed out." From being surrounded by a group of beautiful women, why would he be in the first place? It didn't take too long, however, for them to encounter a shocking sight. "…The hell?"

Lee's blood began to boil as he saw Kikoro and Kokoro. Both were bounded together by ropes. Aside from a few small bruises, they seemed to be okay. _How_ they were bounded together however… "Of all the disgraceful, devious…"

The eyes of the twins showed both shame and worry as Zack noted their thighs were tied together with the other's head in between. "Whoever's behind this bondage demonstration really knows how to leave an impression."

"I fail to see what is so amusing about this." Lee glared, moving to free the girls.

He held his hands up, "All I'm saying is that whoever did this has one hell of a sense of humor." Assisting with the removal of the bonds, he heard the muffled screams as he undid the knots. "You guys okay? What happened to ya?"

The gag removed, "It was that Fire Ninja Ranger." Kokoro explain, catching her breath, "When we were to discover the Minizord, he ambushed us with his shadow-trapping powers."

"Shadow trapping powers?"

"One of the Fire Ninja has the ability to manipulate shadows to take hold of you to control as a puppet." Lee explained, helping Kikoro to her feet. "The other has the ability to make duplicates of herself."

"He can literally stop you in your tracks." Kikoro added.

"Stop you in your tracks…" Zack thought before his eyes widened…

…

"_THAT DOES IT! YOU'RE ASS IS GRASS, PINKY!"_

_Viki flinched at the screaming, "Eep!"_

_As did Arianna, "Uh-oh!"_

_Zack readied himself for the inevitable defense, "Aw man…"_

_Amanda rushed towards Viki, the girl who ruined her hair. She was going to pay, dearly for this! She'll pummel her, torture her, then pummel her some more! After all that work she had often put into maintaining and grooming her hair, now it was doomed to be as pink as those idiots' wigs were. As she was about to leap, she found herself stopped. Her feet wouldn't move! Her legs, her arms, her hands… Even her head couldn't move! "Damn it, Ty! What the hell?"_

"_No can do!" Ty's arm was extended as his fist was closed. He wasn't going to let her do anything that'll get him or herself in trouble. "Now will you calm down, or do I have to force you into time out!"_

"_But-"_

"_But nothing Amanda," Ty finished. "We're all going to act like mature adults here."_

…

"Is something wrong, Zack?" Lee asked as the red ranger shook his head.

"Nothing… Just thinking about that ninja you mentioned…" He admitted. This was starting to sound all too familiar for his liking.

Lee narrowed his eyes, "That cretin… He will pay for this dishonor."

"Whoa Lee, shouldn't we be focusing on the bigger picture here?"

"Kikoro and Kokoro both have been dishonored and defiled. No punishment is far too great."

'The girls can fight for their own honor themselves, right?' Zack sighed, "Alright, now that we're all here, let's get back to Shi Castle."

"But what about Viki and Mikayla?"

"As long as they're on Astro Base, they should be fine," Zack trusted. Though, considering what the girls have been through, he wasn't sure if his trust wasn't misplaced. Nevertheless, Viki would have a lot on her plate tomorrow. And considering the possibilities with the Fire Rangers, they might need Astro Base after all.

**Outside Shi Castle**

Dawn was around the corner as the guards stand on patrol of the castle grounds. However, from the exhaust shown in their eyes, it appeared that they were not on full alert. This state would come to be their disadvantage as we as their undoing…

Unbeknown to them, three figures swiftly slid onto the castle walls from a cable that connected the tree tops to the castle wall. Before any of the guards could notice, a strong strike on a pressure point on a neck was enough to take each of them out.

"Well that was easy…" One of the figures, a masked young woman turned to the other two. Both who were similar in appearance save for one notable difference: One was in a black jumpsuit, the other in red. "Your job is to disable the defenses inside. Mine is to find the Blade of Light. Got it?" With a nod from both, the woman let out a smile as she activated her communicator. "The Phoenix has landed."

Smiling at the confirmation, "She's in…" She informed, "How's the troops, Ty?"

"The Kelzaks are ready." He explained, "However, while the number of the regular flavor was sufficient, the power within the device only sufficed for 30 Kelzak Furies. Needless to say, we'll have to be careful on how we utilize them."

"One's already with the infiltration group. As soon as they disable the security protocols, we should be able to get through whatever traps outside of the castle."

Ty nodded. It would all come down to this. Once security was breached, the Kelzaks would begin the invasion, with the two of them waiting with a trump card.

…

"What the?" Feeling a rumble, Brad's eyes blinked, 'It's mornin' already?'

"They've come…" Flipping out of his bed, Zack quickly placed on his boots before grabbing his morpher.

Mike quickly turned on the light. "Clearly they're trying to take advantage of our deprivation."

"A'right! Time for 'sum action!" Cracking his knuckles, Brad was the first one out the door as he already saw the panic that the situation has already caused…

"What's going on?"

"What's happening?"

"Protect our lord!"

Guards, attendants, various people within the castle panicked as a loud crash soon showed him the cause: From the shattered windows entered a troop of creatures from above. Each landing as they instantly pursued the fleeing inhabitants. "What the Sam Hell?"

"Those creatures…" Mike observed, "Zack, surely those are the ones you and Lee saw last night?"

"Yeah, they're the ones…" He narrowed his eyes. If those were anything like the ones from last night, this could become a very difficult battle. Suddenly, he heard a gasp escaped from his friend, "What's up?"

"It can't be possible…" Mike shook his head.

Brad raised an eyebrow, "You know what they are?"

"These are known as Kelzaks, Lothor's foot soldiers who were involved with his invasion. Given that by normal means it is impossible for him to exist this day, most likely someone looks to follow in his footsteps.

"Guys!"

The three rangers turned as they saw the Shine Rangers run towards them. "You guys are seeing this, too?"

"Them creatures from last night managed to breach the castle." Brad asked Mikeru, "Ah thought you said that no one could get through yer defenses!"

"It seems that our security systems were compromised prior to the invasion." She explained. "Either we have a mole within our ranks or…"

"Lemme guess: Our pyromaniac friends have a hand in this?"

"Wouldn't surprise me…" Izumi narrowed her eyes. If it was indeed them, then this invasion could only mean one thing… "A distraction!"

"Izumi!" Lee called out as the yellow ranger ran off.

"They're going for the Blade of Light! The guards won't be able to handle the both of them. You guys focus on dealing with the Kelzaks!"

"But-" A hand was placed on his shoulder, silencing him.

"Have faith in Izumi. She knows what she's up against." Mikeru assured, "She's out to fulfill her duty, now it is our turn to do the same."

Lee nodded, "Be careful. They're armed with blades and clubs. The most important thing now is to deal with them to give everyone enough time to evacuate."

Zack smirked, "Besides, with the seven of us, dealing with these fodder should be no problem."

Kikoro narrowed her eyes in determination, "Ready for this, Kokoro?"

She grinned, "You bet!"

Lee stared at the group of Kelzaks who advanced towards this direction. Knowing full well what must be done, "Alright guys, let's do it!"

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

"SHINING LIGHT, SPIRITS UNLEASH!"

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ The defense of Shi Castle has begun as both the Sigma and Shine rangers fend off against the Kelzaks. However, Ty and Amanda raise the stakes by calling in their zords. Unable to use their own zords, and the Shine Rangers having no Zords, the Sigma Rangers have a solution, but is missing an important component…

**Chapter 15:** Destiny Realized! White Sigma Ranger!


	15. Destiny Realized! White Sigma Ranger!

**Chapter 15:** Destiny Realized! White Sigma Ranger!

As more and more Kelzaks entered the castle, the rangers increased their intensity as one by one they overcome each that entered the castle, knowing full well the price of their failure. With the inhabitants of the castle fleeing through emergency exits, the rangers fight on in order to protect them.

"Keep moving! We'll take care of 'em!" Brad shouted to a nearby elderly couple as he landed a fierce elbow to the back of a Kelzak before knocking down another with a back kick. From the ferocity of these creatures, they were exactly as Zack described them: Numerous and unrelenting. Still, they may be tough, but he was tougher.

Dodging a sword slash with a flip, Mike landed a punch from each hand each onto a Kelzak. Question was where did they come from? More importantly, who were they working for? He had his theories, but all signs pointed towards the Fire Ninja Rangers. They've proven to have discarded their sense of honor, but not even they could have sunk so low as to use the very beings that once terrorized them could they? Flipping back with a kick, Mike swept another as one more was tossed over by the neck.

The Blue and Pink Shine rangers placed their teamwork to good use as they used their skills to cover for the other. Within a single leap, Kikoro landed on top of the shoulders of a Kelzak before tightening its head between her legs. Using as much momentum she could get, she flipped over with the Kelzak still in her grip as it soon found itself flying over. With Kikoro landing, nearby Kelzaks saw this as an opportunity to take advantage of her sudden vulnerability, only to receive a flying boot to the face before two blade-like hooks latched onto it, throwing it into another group of Kelzaks. On their own, the twins were decent fighters. But when together, they were unstoppable!

"Do what you must, but try to avoid damages." Mikeru requested, sweeping a trio with her halberd. While it may be unavoidable, they should keep any damage to the items within the castle as minimal as possible. Some of these items were passed down from generations while others were just irreplaceable.

"Can't make any promises." Zack landed a spin back kick onto a row of Kelzaks before throwing one into another group. These creatures weren't playing around and neither should they. They shouldn't hold anything back against them. Landing a few more punches and kicks, he tossed one more over towards his left, leaving the assailed to be taken down by a roundhouse kick.

"Where is the pink one?" Lee asked, landing a hard elbow to the back of a Kelzak's neck.

"Viki should be on her way here right now. Then again, your sister's with her."

"Of course…" With that revelation in mind, perhaps it was better for her to stay on the Sigma Rangers' ship. If it meant that Mikayla would be out of harm's way, then it was for the best. Still, with the increasing number of Kelzaks entering the castle and Izumi headed towards the Blade of Light, they could use all the hands that were available.

**Astro Base**

"I didn't think that the fridge would be stocked with so much good food!" Viki gushed as she finished a bowl of a marshmallow-mixed cereal. At first when she was to spend the night here, she was with her doubts. The airplane and shuttle foods from her experience weren't exactly the best as it always left her filled with gas. But the Astro Base was packed with everyday food you could find in stores. She may've been suspicious, given that it was the first time anyone actually used the ship, but the expiration dates proved that the food was still fresh. What really surprised her was that it had a few kinds of cereal including Marshmallow Crispies – her favorite! Still, they needed to get to Shi Castle, knowing full well what was supposed to go down today. Though as soon as _someone_ got ready, then they could get out of here.

"FYI, the shower here needs work." Mikayla scoffed, entering the kitchen dressed in nothing but a towel around her and another on her head. "Though to be fair, it did manage to get warm. …Eventually."

"…You do know that you're a guest here, right?"

"Yeah, yeah… I know…" Removing the towel from her head, "So, you guys have a hair dryer?"

"It should be above the sink in the shower room." Viki looked down, watching Mikayla's long, auburn locks fall down to her knees, "Wow…"

"What? Haven't seen a girl with long hair before?"

"Not as long as yours!" Viki wondered how she could possibly maintain all of that hair, let alone keep it out of the way. No way was that an easy task!

"Although I'm still nowhere near Mikeru's level…"

"Mikeru?"

"The green ranger from yesterday at Kaze Temple. Her hair's even longer than mine." Mikayla explained, "Here on Lorecora, a woman's hair is a symbol of beauty and status. For a man, it is either the length of his hair or beard, sometimes both. Though most wear their hair tied back or braded…

"So going by your definition, you come from a noble family yourself?"

She nodded, "My family has been associated with the Lorecorian Elite Guard for years. My brother may be the red ranger now, but that title has been passed down from my father, from his father, and from his father. Being a part of the Elite Guard, let alone a Power Ranger, isn't the only means of nobility. Politics play a huge role as well. To this day, all Interplanetary Leaders have been nobles. As a matter of fact, it is said that if you are of noble birth, your chances of becoming Interplanetary Leader is much higher than a normal person's."

"Wow… It seems that the only way to truly make a name for yourself here is by being born into a noble family," Viki said, dejected. 'No wonder we have so many Lorecorian immigrants…'

"Not to say that it's impossible for someone to reach noble status," Mikayla quickly informed. "Though, it's not easy. Many have tried and failed to reach noble status, but only very few have managed to make it."

"So you'll have to basically sacrifice a lot, even an arm and a leg just to make something of yourself?" Viki looked down to her shoes, "I don't know if I could be a Lorecorian. Not for long…"

Walking off, Mikayla grabbed her discarded towel, "So, we head to Shi ASAP?"

"Yeah… As soon as you're dressed, we and the Minizords will head out. Sure I've never flew a plane before, much less an airship, but-" Her eyes suddenly widened as she gasped. "Oh no…" Out of all the drama that was happening, she forgot one important thing…

The Minizords!

Panic surged into her body as she looked around. How could she overlook something so important? Her, of all people! "Think, think…" Pacing back and forth, Viki knew that if those Minizords were gone, she was screwed. Forget the guys being pissed, without their protection the Minizords were ripe for the taking, whether if by the Fire Ninjas or the Ultima Enforcers!

"SIGMA MORPH, EXECUTE!"

Rushing towards the hangar, Viki spotted her bike as its door opened. With the revving of her engine, she quickly dashed off. "Hope they're still there…"

…

"So the hair dyer's built in above the sink so all you have to do is just stand there and let it do the work, huh? Pretty nice stuff you have there!" Placing a black band onto her hair to tie it back at back length, a fully-dressed Mikayla looked around, "Viki? Hey Viki, where are you?" Now fully dressed, she was ready to head to Shi. Although she had no intention on seeing her brother any time soon. She was already ready to leave the planet if it meant not having to deal with his constant criticisms anymore. And this Astro Base didn't seem to be a bad place to live in. A bed, some food, a surprisingly well-designed bathroom, she could survive here for a few months or so…

"Come on, this is no time to play games!" Narrowing her eyes, Mikayla quickly darted off as she searched the entire ship for the Pink Ranger. However, the result was the same: She wasn't there. "Damn it, where the hell are you?" Becoming more and more frustrated, Mikayla soon found herself in the hangar, only to find a lowered ramp…

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me…" Spotting the tire marks, it didn't take a scientist to know what happened: Viki left off to god know where, leaving her all alone. "Great… Could this get any worse?" As if to answer her question, from outside above, several Kelzaks dropped down, only a centimeter away from the ramp. Unlike the regular ones, these were red rather than black. "Yeah… nice…"

**Shi Castle**

"Damn it, looks like it's the last one…" Amanda sighed, as a screen on her palm pilot indicated.

"What happened to the Furies?" Ty asked, not too pleased at this turn of events.

"Somehow they've gotten lost. Probably taken a detour…" Amanda slammed the device against her palm, "Stupid piece of junk…" More testing should've been done on the Kelzak Furies' abilities to take orders.

"Damn…" Ty shook his head. The Blade of Light was yet to be found, the Kelzaks were defeated, and who knew where the Kelzak Furies were! There was no other option. "This goes against everything Sensei taught us about escalating battles."

Amanda narrowed her eyes, knowing exactly what he meant, "It's either that or call it a mission. And we're sure as hell not ready to throw in the towel."

"Honestly, I didn't think we were gonna have to use these. But as they say, "If you want to win…" From his jacket, he pulled out a small handheld device, "Then you gotta go big!"

Amanda pulled out a similar device of her own, "It's showtime!"

…

Landing the final blow on the sole remaining Kelzack, Brad landed a thrust kick that sent the creature flying right onto the throne. "Aww, no more?" His question was soon answered by the sudden shaking of the ground, "Ahh… Good!"

"You're _excited_?" Kikoro snapped out of shock. Was this guy some kind of blood knight or something?

"Something tells me they're done with the grunts now…" Gripping his swords tightly, Zack rushed outside the castle as the others followed. As the drawbridge lowered, both teams of rangers watched on as, from the ground below, two giant machines – one resembling a white phoenix, the other a black wyvern – rose to the sky.

Brad's helmet hid his shock, "Y'mean they got zords, too?"

"Surprising, but should've been expected." Mike turned to Mikeru, "Surely you have zords of your own to combat against them."

The green Shine Ranger simply lowered her head, "I am ashamed to say… we do not…"

"Wonderful…" Without zords, the rangers themselves would be sitting ducks. Any attempt to attack them would be foolishness.

"Ezekiel, please tell me you have a way to send our zords to us…" Zack asked through his comlink.

_"The zords are not coming."_ He sighed, _"They were never designed for interplanetary travel."_

He shook his head, 'Oversight, much?' Sighing, "What about some dimensional portals? Do you need the coordinates? If so, we can-"

_"The use of dimensional portals is dangerous and has yet to be fully tested. Therefore, any use of such technology is illegal by law."_

"Damn it…"

"There is still one option," Mike informed. "Astro Base also contains a Megazord mode. It should suffice as a solution to our current problem." He then sighed, "However, there is one small problem."

"And that is…"

"While it is fully operational, for security reasons it requires an unlock command."

"Okay, no problem. Afterwards, we can take those Fires down."

"I'm afraid it is not that simple. It requires all of our key cards. And I do mean _all_ of them."

"Well that shouldn't be a problem. I mean the three of us and Viki, it should-" Zack soon realized that significance of Mike's words. "You mean…"

"All _five_ key cards…" Mike explained, much to his teammates' chagrin.

Brad facepalmed, "Why couldn' we find another before we left…"

…

'Gotta hurry…' Running as fast as she could, Izumi saw the remaining people who were still within the castle walls scurry toward the nearest exit. They were scared, confused, and defenseless against this attack, but she couldn't worry about that now. Her first and main priority was to get to the shrine. If that area was breached, then the safety of the Blade of Light would be compromised.

Spotting an unarmed Kelzak headed towards her way, a flying kick right to the heart would suffice in disabling the fiend before resuming toward her destination. Throughout the whole ordeal, not once has she seen Lord Yun. It would've been safe to assume that he managed to make it out to safety, but she knew that her lord was not the type of person to save his own skin at the risk of others. He would make sure that the people under him managed to evacuate safely first before doing so himself.

'Not too far now…' Feeling fatigue from the running, Izumi's thoughts went towards her teammates as well as those Power Rangers from Earth. While they should be perfectly able to defend the castle on their own without her, the fact remained that both teams weren't operating at their full strength. And of course the Earthling's Pink Ranger was on their ship playing babysitter to _her_.

She shook her head. Now was not the time for personal feelings and resentment. The Blade of Light was first priority. The Fire Ninja already had all four orbs. If they were to obtain the Blade of Light as well, the end results would be horrifying. Forget the blade falling into evil hands! Would those two even have the slightest idea what to do with it, let alone how to use it? With their lack of regard for human life, they would probably destroy themselves with such power before they learned how to use it competently!

Reaching a set of large, golden double doors, she grabbed a handle with each hand as with a pull, the doors slowly opened… Inside was what appeared to be a display of ancient artifacts lined up and positioned in a graceful manner. Stepping inside, Izumi took in the awe and majestic of this place. She had always heard about the shrine in Shi Castle. How decorated and how sacred it was compared to the others. But never in her wildest dreams did she ever imagine herself stepping foot in here.

Izumi shook her head. Now wasn't the time for admiration. She needed to find the exact location of the Blade of Light. Running straight forward, she could see a glow of light far away. Within several more yards, the glow grew larger as her eyes widened, "My Lord!"

"Izumi…" Yun walked over to a clear display case. Inside was what appeared to be a large scimitar with a blade made completely out of gold. Its hilt and handle were made out of metal as white, threaded cotton wrapped around the handle. Save for the two prongs at the top of the blade. "What brings you here?"

She dropped to a knee out of respect, "My Lord, it is expected that the invaders are headed towards this location. With all due respect, I suggest you evacuate from this place immediately."

He shook his head, "No… It is my sworn duty to protect this blade from evil hands. I cannot out of good conscience leave those who serve me this burden alone."

"…But my lord! You are the Interplanetary Leader of Lorecora! You cannot afford to put yourself at risk!"

"There have been Interplanetary Leaders before my time. There will be more after I am long gone. But there will never be another Blade of Light."

"Then allow me to protect it. You are too vital for you to forfeit your life." She placed a closed fist onto her heart, "I swear as a member of the Zhao Ma family, as an Elite Guardswoman, and as a Power Ranger, I will defend the Blade of Light with my life."

"Your efforts are commendable, but I cannot-" Yun's words were interrupted by the sound of the doors opening.

"Oh no…" Izumi prepared to defend herself. Was she followed to this place? With the doors opened, a hooded figure stepped inside of this scared place. "Whoever you are, this is a sacred area! None are allowed to trespass here!"

The figure stopped the advancement, "Forgive me my lady, my lord. It seems that I am lost. I cannot find the evacuation points and thus unable to evacuate. Would you help me?"

"There should be an exit only a few halls from here." Yun explained, "You must evacuate immediately."

'I don't like the looks of this…' Izumi eyes narrowed as her stare fixed onto the young lady. Upon contact with her eyes, shock filled her face. "MY LORD, WATCH OUT!"

It only took Yun a second to realize the yellow ranger's warning as he saw two shuriken flying directly towards him, only for him to be knocked off of his feet. Hearing a loud, pain-filled scream, Yun looked back, "Izumi!"

Gritting her teeth, pain shot through the body as the blood began to pour from the fresh wounds on her arm. "This… this is NOTHING!" Fighting the urge to scream, the two, blood-stained shuriken dropped to the floor as she removed her sash, wrapping it around the wounds. "Alright, who are you?"

"I have to say, Shine Ranger…" She said, her voice becoming taunting, "You're very quick to die for your lord. Too bad it won't get you anywhere…" She grabbed onto her hood as she proceeded to yank it off… "Much less here!"

Her eyes narrowed, "_You_!"

Amanda flipped her hair, "Some advice sweetheart: You might want to make sure you're not followed. Especially when you're dealing with a ninja…"

"So who am I dealing with? Another clone, or is this the original?"

"Good question…" Preparing her morpher, she gave a smirk towards the guardswoman…

"FIRE STORM, RANGER FORM! HA!"

"…" Glaring at her now-morphed adversary, she turned to Yun, "My lord, get to safety. I'll handle her."

Seeing the clash inevitable, Yun decided to take heed of her advice… "Protect the Blade of Light."

"Oh no ya don't!" Tanking out her fan, Amanda quickly move to take out Yun. She knew the ramifications of actually killing an Interplanetary Leader, but the risk of him possibly gaining reinforcements were the worse-case scenario. Just as the blade was about to connect to his neck…

"SHINING LIGHT, SPIRITS UNLEASH!"

Behind her helmet, Amanda's eyes widened as a yellow two-pronged spear stood in the path of the white fan, "So, you do have some fight left in you?"

"And a lot more where that came from!" This was it. It would be down to the two of them with the Blade of Light at stake. If she got her hands on it, then it was over. With both the Elemental Orbs and the Blade of Light, there was no telling what kind of havoc the Fire Ninja would unleash.

…

"Looks like they're here." A smile hidden behind his helmet, the now morphed Black Fire Ranger watched as the Dragon and Phoenix Zords soar into the sky.

"Now's our turn to have some fun!" Amanda stated as the two ninjas leaped towards their respective zords. Once inside, they pulled down their harness as they hands clutched onto the flight sticks. "Ready, Black Dragon?"

"When you are, White Phoenix!" The dragon roared as if to agree with Ty's statement. "Now to have some fun with our fellow rangers!"

"Let's see how they deal with laser fire!" Pressing the trigger, heated laser beams fired towards the rangers as the connected blasts on the castle walls caused it to begin to crumble.

Lee noticed the falling debris above, "Everyone, prepare to defend and evade!"

Zack flipped away from the dropping rubble, "You're telling us?"

Narrowly dodging part of debris dropping on him, Brad spotted a crumbled stone nearly hit Mikeru. "That's it, they 'dun it now…"

Mike stepped in the green ranger's way to stop him, "And what do you intend on doing? Jump as high as you can in hopes on scratching the metal? Have you succumbed to your own madness?"

"Well it sure as hell better than to sit 'round here like a bunch'a damn ducks!"

"Don't be a fool! There are still the castle's guns. Surely they are capable to defend."

"With _what_? The castle's already trashed thanks to 'dem zords! And from seeing the panicked reactions, Ah doubt they can as much lead a scratch on 'em! Ah mean goddamn, they don' even have any zords to fight with!"

"Like you fighting them by yourself would be more effective."

Lee could sense frustration within the Sigma rangers. As much as he did not want to admit it, their defenses were never designed for Zord combat. But at the very least, they refused to go down without a fight.

Zack activated his communicator, "Viki, now would be a _very_ good time for you to show up with Astro Base!"

_"Uhh… Astro Base is on the way. Still getting used to the controls!"_

"Make it fast! I'm not sure how much longer we can last!"

_"Okayokay… I'll be there soon, okay?"_

"Just hurry it up!" Zack could've sworn that there was something suspicious about their pink ranger. What was taking Astro Base so long to get here? The castle's guns were still down and at their current position they were useless. This being a total drag didn't even begin to describe this mess…

This was an embarrassment indeed, as Lee thought of the situation. If only the guns were still online, maybe they would have a chance against them. His thoughts were interrupted at the sound of an aircraft above. "Is that?"

"Wait, you mean it's… No, it's not Astro Base…"

Lee nodded, a hint of relief showing, "Good, they're here!"

Brad looked above as a squadron of aircrafts flew above, "Well Ah'll be! Looks like the cavalry's finally arrive!"

From the cockpit, Amanda looked down as she saw gray tanks advancing towards the castle –specifically their position. "Uh oh, Ty! You got company headed your way!"

_"You got some rabid fans yourself!"_ Ty responded as the White Fire Ranger glanced at the jets flying towards her.

"Should've seen this coming…" Sighing, "Ty, you take care of the tanks, I'll deal with the fly boys."

_"Be careful! The military's not the only ones we should be worried about."_

"Those other rangers don't have any zords and the castle's defense system is offline!" Amanda assured, "Trust me, they're a nonfactor at this point."

The vehicular battle has began as the two ranger teams were unable to do anything but watch the Lorecorean Army face off against the Fire Rangers' zords. Within moments, the rangers soon found out exactly how formidable the army was. Within moments, none of the pilots wasted time as they began firing missiles towards the two mechs. Despite the amount of hits each took, the zords for the most part showed no wear with only a few dents and scorch marks at best. However, they did manage to separate the two as the Phoenix zord flew away with the jets trailing her. Leaving the black Dragon zord to face the armada of tanks! While the tanks were at an obvious disadvantage, what they lacked in air support they made up in numbers. Due to the formation of rows the tanks were in, they were able to create a possible net of attacks that could trap the oversized robotic lizard.

Not wanting to stand by, Lee turned to Mikeru, "Give me your honest opinion: Do you think that the guns are still operational?"

"While the defense system may be down, we may be able to operate the guns manually." She explained, "If each of us could occupy a gun, then perhaps we could assist the army."

Nodding, "You heard her." He turned to Kikoro and Kokoro, "We must get to the cannons and get them back online. Many brave men and women are putting themselves on the line to assists us, all to defend Shi. Now we must not let their efforts be in vain."

"Right!" The twins responded in unison as the Shine Rangers rushed back inside of the castle, moving to make their way to the top.

"We'll hold 'em off here!" Zack stated as the three Sigma Rangers were left to watch the Lorecorian army take on the two zord. "…Somehow."

"You do know that we're practically defenseless in our current position," Mike reminded.

"We could go inside an' give Izumi a hand with-"

"No way Brad, the Blade of Light is Izumi's task," Zack stated. Whatever that was going on in the shrine, she could handle it. It wouldn't be right for them to interfere. Besides, fighting against the Fire Rangers was their current objective along with the Lorecorian Army and the other Shine Rangers. …That is if Viki would ever show up with Astro Base.

**Astro Base**

Running as fast as she could, Mikayla desperately tried to evade the fiends in red. However, they seemed to be keeping up with her speed. 'What's with these guys?' No matter where she ran to, they would either just arrive or were already there! Just how the hell did they even manage to sneak aboard on the ship in the first place? Surely the security systems were active during last night! Viki… She sure as hell picked a great time to leave, wherever the hell she was! "Damn it, if I get through this, I'm kicking your ass!"

Attempting to at least defend herself, she quickly threw out a few punches to the Kelzak Fury before narrowly dodging a swing from a sword. "WHOA!" This was ridiculous! How could they be so damn fast! They were already weird by their appearance alone, but this was just not fair!

How many were there, anyway? Ten, twenty of them? Seriously? She wasn't even a ranger yet she still had to put up with this! She could already spot the shearing of her shirt and jeans – Luckily that was all that they managed to cut! No matter where she went, there was at least one Fury there waiting for her! There was only one thing left for her to do…

Running up on the side of a wall, Mikayla quickly ran toward the bridge as the moment she reached inside, the sliding doors shut. Hopefully she could catch her breath…

"Now what…" She sighed, taking a seat in the captain's chair as she noticed a sudden lightness on her head. "!" Fearing the worst, she reached behind as she was able to grab a bundle of hair. 'Okay, looks good…' But still, she couldn't shake this sense of dread as she moved her hand downward. However, as her hand reached her hips, she soon found the unexpected end of the bundle. "No… W-where's my ribbon…." Turning back, she didn't find the auburn end that she often did usually. Grabbing the bundle once more, she brought it close towards her field of vision as her eyes widened at what she saw… Or lack thereof…

"!"

Intoxicated in her own anger, Mikayla furiously pressed whatever button she could find on the console. "Stupid piece of junk… WORK DAMN IT!"

_"Hello… Is there something I can help you with?"_

Startled at the sudden sound of voice, Mikayla looked upward as she saw a middle-aged man on a large screen above her, "Look, I don't care who you are or how you opened up communications, but I'm in a middle of a crisis here!"

Ezekiel noted, _"Judging from your condition, you seem to be in a middle of a struggle."_

"Thank you, Captain Obvious! Would be nice if I could get some help here in like, I dunno, NOW!"

_"Come now, this is not the time to panic."_

"Look, I nearly got sliced and diced by those dreadlocked freaks in red, not to mention what happened to my hair! So excuse me if I'm a little bit irritable right now!"

_"I am sorry for your loss. But I'm afraid there are bigger things to worry about now."_

"Does any of those 'bigger things' involve getting me out of this mess?"

_"If you're going to get out of this, then you need to calm down."_

"I AM CALM!" After having her hair cropped, as far as she was concerned _this_ was placid. Nevertheless, "…Sorry, it's just…" Sighing, "I'm Mikayla."

_"My name is Ezekiel. Follow my instructions, and you should make it out of here alive. Do you understand?"_

She nodded, "…What should I do?"

_"If you look to your right, you should find the key to your survival."_

Following his direction, "And I'm looking for…"

_"You'll know when you'll find it. However, I should warn you about the possible risks and dangers once you do."_

"At this point, I don't care anymore." She said before eying a particular object. Her eyes widening, "…I-is that a…"

Ezekiel nodded, _"Once activated, you shall have the tools that you need to overcome your enemies. However, it is only fair to warn you the risks that may come from its use."_

"Risks?" It was wise to second guess this course of action. But at the same time, it seemed to be the only option available. What it came down to was this: She's been stalked, attacked, stabbed by a shuriken, berated, abandoned, and now had her hair chopped off. She's been on the receiving end throughout this whole ordeal. Now it was time for some payback with interest…

**Shi Castle**

_"Raven One! I got visual!"_ As the jet flew closer to the Mechanical Phoenix, the pilot watched as the targeting system locked on to the zord, _"Taking the shot!"_

Examining her radar, Amanda scoffed, "Seriously?" It shouldn't have been much of a contest to begin with: One zord versus seven planes. Just hearing about it, it shouldn't have been any double that seven against one were odds that were favorable to the former. But given that her zord completely dwarfed their aircrafts, the home team did not have the advantage.

Smirking, "I can take it to the next level. Can you?" As she pulled back on her flight stick, the white zord flew upward, dodging the launched missile…

_"Damn it, she dodged!"_

"_What's she doing?"_

"_If she thinks she'll escape us, then she has no idea who she's dealing with. All units continue pursuit!"_ The seven planes proceeded to follow as the Phoenix Zord continued its flight upward…

'Oh jeez, they're actually following?' Amanda scoffed at her seven pursuers. If only they knew exactly what they were in for…

_"Got a lock on the target…"_ The targeting system indicated a lock as the pilot prepared to fire.

_"Captain, we've gone up too far!"_ Another pilot warned as the rest of the squadron began to turn back.

_"Relax soldier, I got this!"_

"_But Captain!"_

"I'm not letting her get away! Not after what she's done." Blinking, he heard critical sounds that indicated system failure. "The hell?"

_"That's what I've been trying to tell you: Moving too high up the atmosphere would freeze the system."_

Blinking, the captain watched helplessly as the engine shut down. With no more thrusters to keep it in the air, the plane began its rough descent down…

Seeing this from above, Amanda scoffed, "Served you right." They thought that those planes of theirs could take on her zord? The Ninja Academies have invested a lot into the Power Ranger program. But when it came to zords, it was the Fire Academy who had the foresight to implement space travel. Given that their Dragon and Phoenix zords were already capable of flight, being able to go into space was the only logical next step. A shame that the other academies never even thought of the possibility…

Behind her white helmet hid a cruel smirk. She could make sure to eliminate this so-called "threat," or she could show some mercy, let the poor guy have a chance to save himself, and hope Gravity would do her job for her.

At the sound of missiles firing, the tanks advanced forward in formation. Approaching the hovering black dragon that was surrounded in all corners! _"Surrender now! There is no escape!"_ As its wings flapped, each barrel moved upward targeting precisely the head.

"Big army…" Ty noted as he decided his course of action. An atomic blast would be enough to destroy them all, but the job was to make sure they were disabled. Not to destroy them. At the same time, could he afford to take that risk? It would only be a matter of time before the defense systems would be fully operational. And while the military's firepower against them had, at best, a minimal impact, dealing with the both of them could be a bit taxing. And then there was the matter of obtaining the Blade of Light. With those other rangers on guard, the Kelzaks gone, and the Kelzak Furies being god knows where, neither of them could afford to take any chances.

"I hate to do this but…" Ty pulled back the flight stick as the dragon climbed its way upward…

"FIRE!" In pursuit, the launched missiles flew towards the escaping dragon, who managed to evade and outmaneuver all incoming salvos. Much to the commanding officer's frustration, "Damn it…"

"Captain, it's turning back!" A lieutenant informed from a nearby tank.

"Be ready to fire on my command…" He said, watching as the dragon flew downward.

"Uhh…Captain?"The lieutenant blinked at the sight of what appeared to be within the mechanical dragon's mouth…

"What on Earth?" Upon full view, a pale red ball of energy seemed to be building within its mouth. From its size alone, it was enough to wipe out the entire army. Seeing the implications, there was only one thing left to do…

"RETREAT, MEN! RETREAT!"

"Oh no you don't…" Ty spent too much energy building up this blast and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. Still, he figured he should at least give them some hint of a chance to escape. However, just as the large blast was about to fire, a large beam of energy landed a hard hit to the head, causing the blast to fire upward, away from its intended target. "The hell?" Turning towards the source, "Oh you got to be kidding me!"

_"Ty, what's up?"_ Amanda asked, _"Need a hand?"_

"Just be careful! Y'know those guns that were disabled?"

_"Yeah, they're useless! So what?"_

"Well guess what's up and running and fully operational again?"

Taking her partner's advice, Amanda looked downward to see four beams firing from four corners on top of the castle. "No way! I shut down all their defense systems! Those guns should be paperweights!"

"Keep it up!" Seated in a chair behind the cannon on a turret, Lee used the controls to aim for the two zords. "We have to give them time to evacuate!"

"Easier said than done!" Kokoro responded, firing another blast towards the Phoenix. As quick as the cannon's firing rate was, the zord seemed to be quicker and more agile. "Stand still!"

"Keep trying!" Mikeru roused, locking on to Ty's zord. "The defense of Shi castle falls solely on us, now!"

"We have two guns locked on a zord a piece." Kikoro stated, "They'll have to fall sometime!"

The two zords continued their evasion of the cannons' fire as frustration was hidden behind the Fire Rangers' helmets. The Sigma Rangers watched on as the dog fight between the flying zords soon become intense. Within moments, mental fatigue began to show from the two pilots as with a critical shot, each zords were shot down into the forest.

"Damn it…" Amanda fumed, "How could their cannons be so strong?"

Ty spat, "To hell with this! It's Megazord time!"

"Finally!" The only reason the cannons worked as well as they did against them was because they were separated. And with the cannons themselves having limited range, staying on one particular side would render nearly all of them useless.

Brad watched as the two zords launched into the sky, "Now what're they doin'?"

Mike gasped, "They're forming a Megazord."

Zack shook his head, "Should've seen that coming…"

"Oh no!" Lee saw that from their current position, only his and Mikeru's cannons would be able to reach them. "Fire at will! We cannot allow them to combine!"

As she rapidly pulled the trigger, Mikeru's cannon fired as rapidly as the mechanism would allow. However, it seemed as if a protective field surrounded the zords as they begun their Megazord formation sequence…

The black wyvern's wings detached as the head, spine, and tail rotated, forming the arms. A head rose upward as the white phoenix began its metamorphosis. Its legs and talons were moved back as its wings folded forward. Its lower mouth opened downward as it was placed on top of the transformed dragon. With a dragon's head at the end of one arm and its tail on the other, the orphaned wings soon reattached to complete the Megazord initiation sequence.

"Damn…" Lee saw the Megazord before them, "Rangers, we cannot let this falter us! We are Shi Castle's final line of defense. If we fall here, all will be lost! We must fight on! Even if it comes at the cost of our lives, we must-" Lee quickly jumped out of the way as rapid blasts rained onto his position, destroying the mounted turret cannon.

"LEE!" Mikeru evacuated her position as the other Shine Rangers ran towards their leader before looking up at the Megazord holding up a weapon: What appeared to be a blue, drill-like squid attached to the front of a silver Gatling gun with the golden "suction cups" attached to the barrels.

Slowly rising to his feet, "Don't worry about me… Protect the cannons!"

Kokoro was startled by this command, "But-"

"Those guns are our last hope against the Megazord. Don't let them-LOOK OUT!" The four rangers evaded more rapid blasts as another mounted cannon was destroyed…

"Two down, one to go!" Ty exclaimed victoriously.

"And with the Blade of Light within our grasp, it's time to bring out the bubbly!" Amanda was all smiles. Two of their cannons were destroyed complements of their Turbine Combo, and they were out of the range of the remaining two. And with her clone already inside, it was safe to say that victory was theirs.

"Oh c'mon!" Brad fumed, seeing all of this from the drawbridge as another cannon was destroyed, "How're we supposed to defend 'gainst that?"

Mike shook his head, "Come on Viki, don't do this to us…"

Zack sighed, "Maybe there's a chance. I could teleport inside, throw them out, and take control of their Megazord."

"Knowing the precautions taken to keep the cannons from disrupting their formation sequence, I'm certain they have one against inside invaders. Not to mention the lack of information about their Megazord's specs."

"Well damn it! Then what are we supposed to do?" The castle's cannons were destroyed, the Shine Rangers are corned, and there was nothing the Sigma Rangers could do about it!

Destroying the last of their cannons, The Fire Megazord turned its attention to the Shine Rangers. Ty smirked, "Like fish in a barrel!"

"Time to wipe out the trash!" Amanda declared with glee, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

"Let's not get carried away! We still need to find the Blade of Light!"

"We'll find it through the rubble! No problem!" Just as she was to pull the trigger, she felt a rough shake within her cockpit as her head hit against the console. "The hell?"

Ty recovered from the hit as well as a loud sound of jets was heard from above as within a glance. "Wait, is that-"

Brad looked upward towards the direction of the blast that hit the Megazord, "Well Ah'll be…"

Mike glanced at the flying ship headed towards the Megazord, "Looks like our solution to this problem has finally arrived."

Zack snickered, "Talk about cutting it close! Another minute and we'd all be screwed! No one ever said Viki was the most reliable. But still, I outta kill her for taking so long."

"Well sor-ry, I had to get the Minizords! Would you rather I lost them?"

"Still no excuse, Viki! You know how much is at-" He turned towards the direction of his discussion, "Viki?"

It was indeed the Pink Ranger, fully morphed, as she rejoined her fellow Sigma rangers, "Through all the madness, I managed to leave the Minizords behind near Kaze so I had to get them!" However, this would prove to not be the right thing to say at this time…

"YOU DID WHAT?"

She shrunk down from their outrage, "You didn't have to be so loud!"

"Do you realize what you almost jeopardized?" Mike scolded, outraged.

"We have more important things to worry about," Zack looked up towards Astro Base, "If Viki's here then who's piloting-?" His answer was answered by a figure that stood on top of the white ship. "No way…"

Viki couldn't believe it, "I-is that?"

From above the castle, Lee looked towards Astro Base, "Mikayla?"

Standing on top of the cockpit, the morpher was firmly placed on her arm as a small smirk came to Mikayla's face. This was it! This would be her big moment! She could clearly see his shock and worry from the red Shine Ranger's body language, "Can't stop me now…"

"Don't do it…" He muttered to himself…

Brad shook his head, "She wouldn't…"

Viki couldn't believe it, "She couldn't…"

Mike's thoughts turned to the morpher's condition, "She shouldn't…"

"She will," Zack simply said.

Much to his horror, Lee could do nothing as he watched on helplessly. "Don't do it, Mikayla!"

"SIGMA MORPH…"

"NO!"

"EXECUTE!"

Her body covered in a white light, Mikayla spun as her ranger suit formed around her body. Once completed, she fell into a pose: With a forward outside kick she crossed her extended right arm in front of her bent left as she then extended her left while bringing back her right. Finishing with bringing her legs together while crossing her arms once again – this time her left arm crossing her bent right arm – with forefingers extended on both hands. "_Flurrious Blizzard, White Sigma Ranger!"_ In her pose, all glanced at her ranger suit. Save for the obvious white and black coloring, it was exactly the same as the pink ranger suit, except for her helmet, where the eyes-like visor was more in a slight teardrop shape.

Amanda was nearly in anguish, "You have got to be kidding me! _Another_ ranger?"

Ty sighed, his attention at Astro Base, "That ship may be a problem…"

Viki couldn't help but notice Mikayla, or rather her chest size before glancing down at her own. "Umm…"

"Does she even realize the risk she's putting herself into?" Mike asksed, bewildered that she – anyone – would take such a serious risk by utilizing a morpher in its current hazardous condition.

"No time for that…" Brad watched as a new legion of Kelzaks moved towards their position. "Just when Ah thought they were gone…"

"One of those days indeed…" Zack gripped onto his swords, "Rangers, let's-" However in a flash, all of the Kelzaks were slashed and instantly defeated. "…go?"

Tossing what appeared to be a pair of daggers that resembled a pair of carved, spiked ice shards into her hands, the newly-morphed White Ranger approached her (presumably) new teammates, "That was easy."

"Do you have any idea what risk you're putting yourself in?" Mike scolded, much to her annoyance.

"What are you, my brother all the sudden?"

Zack tried to explain, "Listen, what Mike means is that your morpher has a-"

"Glitch? I know. Ezekiel told me about the rapid morphing-demoprhing problem. Total health risk, but I'm not backing down." Before she morphed for the first time, he had made sure that Mikayla knew full well about the risks to her health. She tried to wave it off by mentioning her healing abilities, but even she wasn't sure if she could just negate something that may affect her heart. Still, there were bigger things to worry about. "So, are you guys gonna stand there and do nothing, or are we gonna unleash the megazord and kick some Fire Ninja ass?"

"A'right!" Brad pounded his fists. Ready to kick ass and not screwing around? He was definitely going to like this new girl on the team.

Zack couldn't agree more, "Now that we got what we need, let's head to Astro Base and finish this!" The Shine Rangers have done their part to fight the Fire Rangers. Now it was all down to them. Everything, the Blade of Light, Shi Castle, possibly the safety and integrity of this planet would fall down to them. Hopefully, Astro Base's Megazord function would be enough to stand against them. Otherwise, it was all over.

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ With Mikayla now the new White Sigma Ranger, Astro Base's Megazord function can now be activated. But will it be enough to stand against the Fire Megazord and its variety of weapons? Will the combined forces of the Sigma and Shine rangers be enough to overcome the might of the Fire Ninja Academy?

**Chapter 16:** Sigma At Full Power! Astro Command Megazord!


	16. Sigma At Full Power!

**Chapter 16:** Sigma At Full Power! Astro Command Megazord!

"Everyone in position…" Taking his seat upon the command chair, Zack watched as a small console rose from the floor before him. "Brad!"

"Ready!"

"Mike!"

"Ready!"

"Mikayla!"

"Ready!"

"Viki!"

"Ready!"

"All right, Rangers!" Zack held a key card in his hand as he saw the other rangers doing the same, "Let's do this!"

"KEYS SET!" As each ranger inserted their cards into the slot on their respective consoles, the energies from the cards began to surge through the circuitry as they all eventually joined at the core…

"_Megazord mode enabled."_

"It worked!" Excitement filled within Viki as her thoughts went to what kind of megazord this ship would provide. Would it be enough to stop Ty and Amanda?

"Now the real battle begins… Activate Astro Command Megazord formation sequence!"

"_Initiating Astro Command Megazord formations sequence…"_ The back half of Astro Base began to extend as the thrusters were rotated inside, forming the feet as the newly formed legs rotated in a 180-degree angle. The "arms" began to separate as the front of Astro Base began to bend over to form the torso. Revealing a circular, helmeted head in which its antennas on its forehead rotated upward to form a V-pattern.

"_Astro Command Megazord formation complete."_

The rangers, Fire and Shine, glanced over as the new, white megazord stood before them. Upon comparison, the Astro Command Megazord towered over the Fire Megazord.

Amanda sighed, "Great… Their megazord's bigger than ours."

"What we lack in size, we make up in speed." Ty was not worried at all. Since their first encounter, he noticed that the rangers from Earth were not completely united. Not to mention their lack of experience with this new megazord: If they always had it as their ace in the hole, then why did it take them _this_ long to bring it out? Therefore, they wouldn't exactly know all of its weapons. They, on the other hand, knew all of the Fire Megazord's weapons.

"Astro Command Megazord is online, all systems go!" Mike noted the megazord's diagnostics, seated to the right corner of the cockpit.

"Time to see what this bad boy can do!" Seated to the left corner of the cockpit, Brad was ready to teach those Ninjas a lesson.

Seated on Zack's far left, worry crept into Viki, "Zack, there's something I really need to-"

"Not now Viki!" He resumed his attention to the enemy in front, "Bring it on…"

"Power Sphere 2!" Ty placed a small disk into a slot as from its chest, a yellow sphere with the numbers "02" imprinted appeared from the chest of the Fire Megazord as a yellow hammer appeared in the shape similar to that of a Ram's head. "Power Sphere 3!" Next followed an aqua-blue sphere with the numbers "03" imprinted, releasing a blue mace shaped as a spiked turtle shell was released…

Viki watched the two objects combine together, forming a kendama, "What are those things?"

"Power Spheres…" Mike explained, "The Ninja Rangers' primary weapon system. Each sphere contains a usable weapon. We'll have to tread carefully."

"Weapons Mike, what do we have?" Zack could see that the Fire Rangers were ready to attack.

"There's the Hyper Giga Cannon, but that requires a high amount of energy. I strongly recommend against using it in this situation."

"Okay… does it at least have a sword?"

"We do. But due to its large size, mobility will be minimized."

"If it's big enough to double as a shield, it'll do!" There was no time to go through the megazord's entire arsenal. A good defense was just as important as a good offense at this point. They would have to make do.

"They're not doing anything!" Amanda scoffed, "Take 'em out!"

"No prob!" Juggling the mace by flipping between the "horns," the Fire Megazord took aim at the larger megazord, but as the mace was about to land a hit… a bright flash blocked it. "The hell?" The flash dissolving, in the hands of the megazord was what appeared to be a giant, two-pronged greatsword! "I'm starting to get annoyed with these surprises…"

"Time to go back to the turbine combo!" Amanda placed in disks five and six as within moments, the turbine blaster was reformed.

"What the-" Watching the Fire Megazord take off, Brad fumed, "Those bastards! They're retreating!"

"No way in hell!" Mikayla hissed, "Not after what they've done."

In pursuit, the Astro Command Megazord took off after the Fire Rangers. However, once in the air, the speed advantage of the smaller megazord was apparent. Using its superior speed, the Fire Megazord maneuvered away from Astro Command's strikes as rapid fire was rained onto its pursuer…

Quickly Astro Command put its sword to use to shield itself from blasts. The pursuit resumed as the Fire Megazord soon changed direction as its Serpent Sword appeared in hand. Upon collision, the two swords clashed together. Despite the size disadvantage, the Fire Megazord managed to hold its own against the Command Megazord. It made great use of its superior speed as the moment the large sword was pulled in place to shield from the barrage they were open for a Serpent Sword attack at an open spot. The fact that the Sigma Rangers didn't seem to be experts at piloting this particular megazord helped in the Fire Rangers' favor.

'Even at a disadvantage their megazord continues to prove itself as formidable…' Lee examined the megazord battle. Despite being the larger of the two, the Sigma Ranger's megazord was being given a run for its money from the sword and gun combination. Perhaps it was experience that played a huge factor. Mike did say that it required all five of them to unlock it, obviously including Mikayla. But he would deal with _that_ later. "Rangers, we should head back inside the castle. Izumi may need our help."

Mikeru blinked, "But what about the-"

"I believe in the Sigma Rangers' abilities in stopping the Fire Rangers," He explained. "This is their fight now, their mission. Our mission is as it has been: Protecting the Blade of Light. Knowing their tactics, the Fire Rangers may have one last trump card waiting to ensnare. We must get to the Treasure Room at once."

The three Shine Rangers nodded in agreement as they all made their way back into the castle. Taking one last glance at the large megazord, Mikeru sighed, hoping for the best outcome to occur.

Feeling the blasts once more, Viki was nearly knocked from her seat. "These guys won't let up, not even for a second!"

"It's like every time we make a move, their megazord flies out of our reach!" Mikayla spat, "We're like an open book to them!"

"Damn it… The more time we waste, god knows what could be happening with the Blade of Light." Zack gritted his teeth, "It's like they're basically distracting us from the real threat!"

"If only that megazord stood still for a moment…" Brad shook his head, "What they lack in power they're sure as hell makin' up for in speed."

"Not to mention experience…" To say that this was bad timing would be an understatement as far as Mike was concerned. While he may've known a bit about Astro Base, let alone the Astro Command Megazord, knowledge barely stood a chance when it came to field experience.

"Guys, if you have a plan, now the time to use-GAH!"

"Mikayla!" The other rangers turned to see the white ranger hunched over, holding her heart. "You okay?"

"Fine Zack," She tried to shake it off, "Just focus on those Fire Bastards."

He wasn't so sure. He sensed a strong hint of pain within her voice. But he couldn't worry about that now. The top priority was to stop that Fire Megazord, but how? "Just be careful, Mikayla. We need you alive! Now to-UGH!" A hard quake occurred within the bridge as the rangers felt a barrage of hits. But it wasn't from the rapid fire of the turbine gun or even the sword, but something else… "Now what?"

"Shields just dropped to 70 percent." Mike informed, examining the energy readings.

"What are we going to do?" Fear crept into Viki's voice.

"We're not letting those ninjas beat us!" Upon sight of object in front of their megazord… "Oh you can't be serious!"

Brad saw the object of his leader's bane: It was the fire megazord, but somehow it had a slimmer, droid-like appearance rather than its more familiar bulky form. In each hand were a bladed tonfa and the Phoenix zord's wings. "Aw c'mon! Now that's just ain't fair!"

"It seems that they also have their own lightning mode…" Mike theorized, "If that's so, then they would only have 60 seconds before it would revert back to its primary form."

"Hello! At the rate they're going, _we're_ going to be finished in 60 seconds," Viki reminded as the megazord took two more hits…

"Shields now at less than 50 percent," Mike informed. "We're at the brink of it here!"

"Great… Our megazord's getting trashed, and the ninjas now have a super mode! I really picked a good time to-GAHH!"

"MIKAYLA!" Viki rushed over to her struggling ally, who began to constantly shift from her morphed state to her regular form and back… "The morpher! It's hurting her…"

"NO!" She declared, trying to ignore the pain, "I can handle it!"

"Like hell you can!" Zack stated, "The longer you remain morphed, the more likely it's gonna kill you! Demorph now!"

"And leave you guys to fight this thing on your own? Screw that!"

"What you're saying now is foolishness!" Mike declared, "You shouldn't have used that morpher in the first place, knowing how hazardous it is! The longer you remain in your morphed form, the more likely it's going to kill you!"

"Considering the way this battle is going, we're already screwed as it is!" As low as their defensive shields were, it was only a matter of time before the Fire Rangers destroyed Astro Base. And given that her brother and the other Shine Rangers, who neither had the castle's guns nor any zords of their own, were next on the chopping block, everything would be lost. Her morpher killing her was a moot point considering the inevitable explosion that would kill her anyway! "If I'm going to get killed, I rather do so as a ranger rather than a mere civilian!"

"Shields now at less than 30 percent! We are now in the red!" Mike informed as the alarm began to sound throughout the cockpit. "One more hit and we're finished!"

"Screw it… We're using the Hyper Giga Cannon!"

Mike was bewildered at the Red Ranger's suggestion. "Have you gone mad? Using it will drain all of Astro Command's power! We'll be rendered defenseless!"

"We're defenseless as it is already! At least this way we'll take them down with us!"

"At the speed they're going, they'll have plenty of time to dodge!"

"Then we'll just have to make it so that they won't!" His eyes narrowing behind his visor, Zack knew that this was it. Either they took this megazord down, or they would die trying.

**Inside Shi Castle – Treasure Room**

Within each strike from her spear, Izumi watched as the White Ninja Ranger managed to evade each blow that was not parried with her fan. Stabbing thrust after thrust, the renegade ranger continued to avoid its attacks. She couldn't keep it up forever. She would have to eventually tire. But at the same time, so would she. However, this could not be an option for the Yellow Shine ranger. Too much was at stake in this fight: The Blade of Light, Shi Castle, perhaps all of Lorecora. Not to mention her own reputation as well as that of her family.

Throughout her time as the Yellow Shine Ranger, Izumi had to live up to expectations based not only of her position as a member of the Elite Guard, let alone Power Ranger, but also of that of her clan. The Zhao Ma was among the many noble clans on Lorecora, known for their expertise with the use of a spear. With its primary weapon being the Lightning Spear, it was fitting for the Yellow Shine Ranger powers to stay within the clan. Training and mastering the spear was practically what her family lived for. It has even been said that any spear within the hands of a Zhao Ma would become a weapon of near-invincibility.

Izumi had to win! She couldn't lose here! Not with all that was at stake, let alone to an opponent such as _that_. To lose the Blade of Light and be defeated by miscreants such as her would not only bring shame to her family, but to the Shine Rangers and the entire Elite Guard.

"Give up yet?" With a leap, Amanda threw a barrage of shuriken towards her target. This game was growing old. The sooner she managed to get rid of this one, the sooner she could grab the Blade of Light and make a run for it. Then they could get off this planet.

"NEVER!" With each strike, she deflected the throwing metal shards towards her as they were knocked onto the floor. "As a member of the Elite Guard, I refuse to fall to the likes of you!"

"You got guts, I'll give ya that much!" Her fan fully open, the White Fire Ranger pried off the strikes of her opposition's spear. She didn't expect Yellow to have this much fight in her after the Kelzak invasion. Her plan was to take out the guards who were guarding the Blade of Light, grab it, then slip out before anyone noticed. This Shine Ranger placed a monkey wrench in her plans. If she would've known, she would've sent in the original to do the job. But still, there was still once chance of turning the tables.

Dodging a strike from the fan, Izumi saw an opening as she used her spear to sweep her enemy onto the ground before pointing the two prongs towards her neck, "Ha, give up!"

"Hmph," She spat, "Full of ourselves, are we? So what are ya going to do? Kill me? Wouldn't that go against your Ranger Code of Honor?"

"Our credo is to protect the world from monsters, even if it means killing them." She said coldly as she prepared for the final blow. "Too bad for you, as far as I'm concerned you _are _a monster." With righteous fury, the two-pronged blade of the spear began to glow brightly as currents of electricity surround it. "It's time to end you, once and for all!" Within a furious swing, the blade went right through as the White Fire Ranger fell to the ground. She turned her back towards the fallen, "Disappear into the abyss, heathen." However, her eyebrows twitched behind her helmet as she turned back, only to find that the body was gone. "So it _was_ a clone after all…"

Sighing, Izumi was on the verge of collapsing as she demorphed. She could really go for a massage, but some sleep would be nice too. Clone or not, she had to admit that for the likes of her, she put up a decent fight. Both Fire Ninja Rangers did…whoever they were. Nonetheless, they would have to reevaluate their training regime. They were prepared for terrorists, radical extremists, even the Synthos and other alien threats. But these two were nothing that they would expect much less fellow rangers. To say that they were disgraces to their morphers would be an understatement. Nevertheless, at least she could rest now. "It's over…" Before she could allow herself to drop, the sound of the doors opening was heard…

"Izumi!"

Looking up, the Yellow Shine ranger smiled at the sight of familiar faces. "You guys?"

Lee caught the collapsing Elite Guardswoman, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah… Just exhausted…" She explained as Kikoro looked around. The Blade of Light was still in its rightful place, but one couldn't be too careful.

"So… Did anyone, you know…"

"The White Ranger infiltrated here. However, it turned out to be merely one of her clones. Fortunately, Lord Yun managed to evacuate before our battle began." Izumi explained, "What about the others?"

"They're taking care of the Fire Ninja at this moment." Lee explained, "Their Megazord is finally functional." Of course, given that they were at a disadvantage due to lack of experience, the enemy was at an advantage. Hopefully they would be able to pull through. For their sake, for Shi's sake, and for Mikayla's…

**Outside Shi Castle**

"Looks like we have them scared stiff…" Amanda gloated at the immobilized zord as the Fire Megazord reverted from its slim form back to its more bulky appearance. "If only Blaze Mode lasted longer…"

"Let's be careful Mandy," Ty reminded. "We may have them on the ropes, but they're growing desperate. Hmm…Shouldn't that clone of yours be heading out of Shi by now?"

"…I-if something happened to her, I would notice. So at least she's still at work. Anyway, let's finish them off." Ready to deliver the final fatal blow, the Fire Megazord's wings expanded as it flew towards the bigger megazord. 'Last chance, Losers…' Serpent Sword in hand, the blazing megazord flew towards Astro Command. With no sign of even a hint of movement, it was obvious. Those Earth Rangers have already resigned in their fate. As soon as they were dealt with, they would finish off those Shine Losers and walk away with the Blade of Light. Just as they were to land the final blow…

"What the-?" Ty's shock was hidden behind his helmet as within an instant he felt the forearms of the Fire Megazord gripped tightly!"

"What kind of gimmick is this?" Outrage showed in Amanda's voice as she spotted a red jewel placed on the forehead of the megazord in front of them. Within seconds it gradually began to glow… "Uhh…"

"Damn it Mandy…" Ty struggled to break free. But in this case, its size disadvantage showed as the jewel glowed brighter and brighter… "Move… MOVE!"

"I'M TRYING!" Utilizing the thrusters that were available, Amanda cursed as all it did was to raise both megazords upward. "Uhh… No go!"

Ty pulled up his harness, "Damn it all… EJECT!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!"

After reaching its maximum charge, The Hyper Giga Cannon proceeded to fire as it unleashed a large concentrated red beam of energy directly at the head of the Fire Megazord. Within the blast, the head began to crumble before disintegrating as more of the megazord was damaged. Released, the damaged remains of the megazord was knocked away into the forest as a loud boom emitted from the landing…

"_Power levels minimal. Shields are at less than 10 percent. Reverting to shuttle mode."_

"Mike…" Zack asked, concerned, "By any chance this ship would at the very least have enough power to land safely, would it?"

He sighed, "Hardly…"

Viki didn't like the sound of this news, "T-then that means…"

"We're so about to crash!" Mikayla finished as at the moment, the now reverted Astro Base began to nosedive as it made its descent… Just as it was about to make its impact, the five rangers spilled out from the ship as they landed before the castle. Leaving the ship to make another loud boom…

Now grounded and unmorphed, the rangers struggled to maintain consciousness as Zack rolled onto his side, "Everyone alright…"

"Couldn't ya… use the dang cannon while closer to the ground?" Brad groaned, imagining a bruise on his ribs from the crash.

Mikayla spotted the crashed Astro Base: Busted and out of power, "Wonderful… All for a simple attack…"

"Perhaps…" Mike reminded, "But it had to be done…"

"Those Fire Rangers couldn't have gone far…" Slowly but surely, Zack struggled to his feet. Given the situation, no way was he dumb enough to believe that blast killed both of them. But they couldn't have gotten far.

"Right behind ya!" Brad followed, having a few bumps and bruises of his own. He'd like to see the faces of the bastards who were causing all of this.

"With our inability to morph, this is a very unwise decision." Mike sighed, "Then again, they may be in the same position."

"Count me in!" Mikayla glared, "I owe them for the shuriken in my leg."

"Zack, wait a second…" Viki rushed after the others, "There's something that you really must know about-"

"Not now, Viki!" Zack continued his pursuit of the ninjas. Hopefully they couldn't have gotten far. Not just yet. Within a few yard, he spotted a pair of reviving rangers face down on the floor. 'Nowhere to run…' However, within a small flash, the two ranger suits disappeared as the now-unmorphed figures began to regain conscious… "…No way…"

"Yo Zack, what's wrong?" Brad asked as the two faces were revealed, "Y'know those two?"

Spitting dirt from his mouth, Ty looked and saw the faces of those who they were just fighting moments ago, "Well well, small world…"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Viki explained. "Ty and Amanda are the Fire Rangers! They're the ones who've been burning down the temples!"

"What the hell man? Why!" Zack demanded an answer. While he didn't really know either of them, the fact that they were capable of do something like burning temples down and other acts of terrorism was beyond him.

"Assuming that we even owe you an explanation for what we do, let's just say it's for reasons I doubt any of you could understand." Amanda hissed.

"From what Ah understand, yer just causin' trouble fer no good reason at all! Nuthin' but power!" Brad cracked his knuckles. Morphed or unmorphed, he was ready to take those two down.

"For the likes of you to come to this planet and wreck chaos upon the people, not even mentioning the number of casualties you caused." Mike narrowed his eyes, "You two are a disgrace to your morphers." If the two of them had any ounce of dignity and honor left within them, they would discard their morphers and turn themselves in. Unforgivable wouldn't even begin to describe their actions.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that again? I forgot to bring out my violin!" The Fire Kunoichi scoffed. Who knew these Earth Rangers could be such narks? "Ty, we can take these losers! Give me a sec and I'll even these-"

"No you won't!" Ty narrowed his eyes.

"Oh come on, Ty! I only made one-"

"Compared to the amount you made yesterday!" It was a miracle she was able to function well given how worn out she was yesterday! Besides, it was hopeless to continue any further…. "You may've won this round, but it's just beginning!"

Amanda scoffed, "Later Rangers! Good luck in your future battles!" After those sarcasm-laced words, a hand sign from both cause an explosion to emit from underneath them…

"Damn…" Zack coughed as the Sigma Rangers tried to move through the smoke. However, once the smoke has dissolved, neither of the ninjas were anywhere to be seen.

"Them bastards retreated!" Brad gritted his teeth, "Cowards!"

"As they say, 'No honor among thieves…'" Mikayla spat, disgusted… The Blade of Light may have been safe, but those two still have the elemental orbs.

"True… But it couldn't have been helped." Mike's thoughts turned back to Shi castle, specifically the artifact in question inside. Not too long ago, Izumi ran off to ensure its protection. And from the look of things, it seemed that she was successful. Nevertheless, this was a bittersweet victory at best.

…

The event since concluded and the commotion calmed, a pair of ancient eyes surveyed the castle. Upon full glance, the castle seemed to be in slight ruins. Cracks in the castle walls, mounted cannons destroyed, two new craters formed by fallen megazords - One of which that had long vanished… And then there were casualties, which was another issue. It was fortunate that everyone was able to evacuate quickly during the crisis. But the brave men and women who fought to defend not just Shi, but the four temples on the other hand… Many have lost their lives though this, but at least their efforts would not have been in vain. While the four orbs of the elements were lost, at least the Blade of Light remained safe. As long as it remained in its current position, the sword's full power would never be unleashed.

Yun sighed, "I suppose given the circumstances, this was perhaps an unavoidable outcome."

Zhang nodded, "But my lord, the two miscreants have escaped."

"They will return. The Blade of Light remains in the castle. They will make another attempt to obtain it, that I am certain. But this time, we will be ready for them."

The Elite Guardsman turned towards the site of the other crater in the forest: A large team of engineers were already at work as various damaged parts were replaced with new ones. The Sigma Ranger's ship – Astro Base, was it – was indeed remarkable. Truly something that could come in handy during crisis such as this. It was at the very least they could do for them after they had helped defend Shi and the Blade of Light from the Fire Ninja Rangers. Of course they wouldn't be discarding the wreckage so quickly, for there were plenty that could be learned from it. Plenty that could be used to their advantage…

…

"How long did they say it'll take to repair Astro Base?"

They said the repairs won't be finished until morning at earliest." Zack explained to Viki. "Good thing we have Monday off…"

"Well…" She perks up, "Seeing that we now have plenty of time, why don't we go sightseeing?"

Mike closed his eyes. The blockades should be down about now due to the crisis being over. "It would do us good to see more of the culture."

"I doubt anyone would be in the mood to give a tour. But I do know a great place!" Mikayla stepped into the conversation. "It's just right by the beach only 30 minutes from here!"

"The beach?" Zack grinned, "Sounds sweet."

"Though I highly doubt anyone would be there, all things considered." Mike reminded. About the last thing anyone would be doing considering what was happening at Shi castle was being anywhere within an area near Shi castle, let alone partying at the beach. Ty and Amanda may have retreated, but that didn't mean they were off the planet necessarily. "Nevertheless, it wouldn't exactly hurt to stop by."

"Yep, more room for us!" Viki chirped, "Though I do hope there are some cute boys there."

Zack nodded at the approval of his teammates to the proposed plan. Everyone seemed to be open to the idea. After what they've been through today, they could use some nice and fun relaxation. Though, not everyone was up for the idea…

"Ah think Ah'm gonna sit this one out!" Brad stated.

He raised a brow, "Aw, c'mon man! It's a team effort! We all could use some leisure."

"Yeah, Ah know! But Ah was gonna take sum time to-"

Zack noticed the tall girl that was behind him before smiling, "Oh I see… Mikeru!"

"It ain't anything yer thinkin' about!" Brad snapped, "Ah'm just asking her for sum tips on her c- …Er, combat skills!"

"Right… _combat_ skills!"

"Ah'm serious! We're just sharin' tips! Nuthin' more, nuthin' less!"

"Alright, alright… Just have fun, ok?" Zack didn't know why Brad was trying to deny it. It was obvious he was into her, so why not just be straight up about it and go for it?

Watching this from afar, a sigh escaped from Lee's lips. He wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do or not, but he felt it was a long time coming. The first thing he planned on doing the moment both teams returned was to relieve her of the White Morpher, especially considering that it could've killed her in its current condition. But now looking at her, it seemed that with that morpher came friends. Perhaps her receiving the morpher happened for a reason.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Mikeru placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I just don't know, Mikeru…" He sighed, "I really don't want her running around with a morpher getting into heaven knows what. But at the same time, at least it has given her something to do. She's really become a part of something. And even if it were for a minor reason, we may have not been standing here if it wasn't for her."

"You're right. Not too many people would be so willing to risk their lives using a defective morpher."

"But I still have my reservations." Lee explained, "The life of a ranger is dangerous and has many risks. _Fatal_ risks! Of course things turned out well in the end, but what if she's not so lucky next time?" Sighing, "I just hope that she realizes that it's not as glamorous as she thinks it is…"

"You need to have a little more faith in her." Mikeru reminded, "She survived having a shuriken lodged into her leg and managed to overcome that, regardless of her healing abilities. And that was before she became a ranger. She'll be okay."

"Even so, I'm worried that her healing abilities have intoxicated her sense of mortality."

"That may be, but you cannot protect her forever. She will have to make her own mistakes and learn from them. That is the only way she will be able to become an excellent ranger. Just like her brother."

Closing his eyes, Lee's thought went towards his green ranger's words. Perhaps it was best for her to continue being the white Sigma ranger. And though he feared for her safety, he knew in his heart that it would be for the best, for she would gain wisdom and experience in her travels. Like it or not, his little sister was growing up. Having made peace with that fact, he knew that there was one more thing to do…

**Akarui Kaigan (Bright Shore) – Outdoor Patio**

As loud music played through the speakers, a brow raised out of its owner's surprise! Mike did not believe that there would be many people at this place, much less enough that it would take nearly 45 minutes for their food to arrive! But apparently, the moment word got out over the Fire Rangers' unceremonious disappearance the lot of them realized it was safe to unlock their doors so to speak.

As he examined the area, he found this place to be quite lively. With a group of teens playing volleyball on the sand, while another group hitting the waves. Of course, the view was quite nice as well. Particularly a young redhead Lorecorian girl with her hair in an ox horns hairstyle dressed in a quite skimpy red one-piece.

"You really like that girl, huh?"

"Just admiring and appreciating the fruits of the fairer sex." He explained nonchalantly as the girl rushed into the water, surfboard in hand.

Viki rolled her eyes, "You sure are…"

"What's with you all the sudden?" Zack asked, curious. "All he's doing is observing."

"And we both know two reasons why, if you know what I mean."

"Just because she has a big chest doesn't mean she's automatically the center of attention." He reminded, "Given this planet is full of women of her, um…talents, seeing a woman with a large chest is like seeing green grass."

"Well you know what they say, 'The grass is always greener on the other side.'"

Looking to switch the subject, Mike examined his watch, "I truly hope this doesn't take any longer."

"Yeah, I'm starting to think that my burger's going to be cold by the time it arrives." Zack frowned, growing impatient.

"The sooner our food gets here, the sooner we can eat, then the sooner we can hit the beach!" Viki really wanted to go out there and show off her new swimsuit. Maybe the boys there could teach her how to surf.

"The girls here seem to be into guys who can surf, so there shouldn't be much of a problem for me." Zack placed his palms onto the back of his head, smiling with confidence.

She blinked, "You know how to surf?"

"If you can aeroboard, you can surf." He said confidently as Mikayla walked over to her table. Her hair soaked, small drops of water showed on her white bikini as it ran down to the turquoise towel wrapped around her waist. "Find any good waves?"

"The problem isn't finding any as opposed to getting any before others butt in and take 'em for themselves!" She sighed as she spotted the foodless table, "What's the deal with our food?"

"Have a few more people ahead of us in line."

"_Still_?"

"Obviously this place was closed during the crisis." Mike hypothesized, "It would explain this place being shorthanded."

"If I would've known it would've taken this long for our food to be ready, I would've gone out to the beach." Viki turned to Mikayla, "So, met any cute guys?"

"You mean the ones who weren't busy surfing?" She scoffed, "Yeah right! Either they're all taken or are complete morons."

"Phooey…"

"Here's your order, guys!" A tall Lorecorian woman walked over with a tray full of food as Mike examined her. Part of her hair was looped in twin braids while the rest flowed downward to mid-back. She was dressed in a coral-colored bikini with a white sarong wrap around her waist.

"You guys are _that_ backed up?" Mikayla snarked with a smile towards the waitress.

"You try working here with a bunch of overly-hungry customers and see if you don't get fatigued." She responded. "Heard you ran into those bastards who burned the temples. Given that you're surfing out there well for a girl who got a shuriken stuck into her leg, I trust you're okay."

Mikayla blinked as she noticed three pairs of eyes narrow towards her before replying, "How did you-"

"Let's just say that I have my ways." She placed the tray down, allowing the four to distribute their share of the food. "At least you don't look like someone who's been stabbed."

"What can I say? I had a great teacher!" Which reminded her, "Hey Kats, you got a sec? I really need to talk to you."

She gave a flat expression in response, "Kayla, you know how busy we are here. I can't just-"

"It'll only be five minutes, tops!" She insisted, "Please, it's really important."

Sighing, "Fine, but if I'm docked you're reimbursing me." She warned as the strong gripping of her wrist was indication that she accepted the terms. …Or that she didn't care, whatever, as she was lead right into a parking lot. "Okay, so what's up?"

"I'm leaving for Earth, tomorrow."

Katsumi blinked, "Wait! Hold on a minute! Seriously?"

"Yeah! Already made the arrangements! I'm transferring to Coast City University."

"…But so soon?"

"Yeah! There's plenty of things I need to do when I get there! Like getting my room set up, not to mention adjusting to the different time zones. My stuff is already packed up!"

"So, when's your flight leaving?"

"I'm… not so sure!" She admitted. She could see the look in Katsumi's eyes. She was out for information and if she wasn't too careful, she might end up spilling the beans. "I'm trying to find a flight as early as possible, but price is a main factor as well."

Sighing, "Oh well… It's not as if I could've left early to see you off anyway."

Mikayla twisted a strand of her wet hair, "Well anyway, I won't hold you up any longer. I'm sure there are customers who need you more than I do."

"Yeah…" She pulled Mikayla into a hug, just in case if this was the last time she saw her before she left. "You be safe, okay?"

"I will…" She responded, hugging back before they both released. "Take care, okay?"

"You too, and sorry about your hair."

Imagining the unwanted end at her mid back, Mikayla's eyes narrowed, "Don't remind me." Long hair and beards represented nobility to Lorecorians. The mere act of cutting it off was a sign of disrespect and dishonor, often declared an unforgivable act. While she was thankful that it was still long enough to reach mid-back, she would not forgive nor forget what the Fire Rangers' Kelzaks did to her.

Watching her walk back towards her table, Katsumi couldn't help but wonder. While the Fire Rangers' actions wasn't exactly news, but the arrival of another Power Ranger team was surprising. There were three of them: One red, another green, and the third blue. And then when the two ninja attacked Shi, those new rangers were joined by two more: Pink and white. Obviously these rangers weren't from Lorecora. Now Mikayla came to this place with new friends, neither of them from this planet, and now she's leaving for Earth, where she's willing to bet that was where her new friends were from? That was too much of a coincidence to just overlook…

"You just gotta love sweet lemonade!"

"Oh come on, Zack! It can't be that great!"

"It has the right balance of sweet and sour! What's not to like?"

"The high amounts of sugar, the possible risk of diabetes?"

"Not really! Haven't you checked the labels lately, Mike?"

Watching Mikayla and her new friends, Katsumi pulled out a smart phone from a pouch attached to her sarong… "Hey Tara? It's Kats. We should totally check out Earth sometime!"

**Outside Astro Base – Near Shi Castle**

"The repairs to your ship are complete!" A middle-aged engineer informed, his graying beard reaching his stomach. It may have taken all night for him and his team to finish, especially given the advanced technology that was used, but somehow they managed to get the job done. They all could use a vacation after this all-nighter. "Though… I do strongly recommend that you fly at a moderate speed for the first few hours, just to be on the safe side. There were some parts that were a bit advanced for our level of technology!"

"It was more than we could've asked of you guys!" Zack bowed in a sign of respect, "Thank you!"

Mike stroked his chin in slight suspicion. 'Just how much was needed to be replaced.' He would have to consult with Ezekiel the moment they returned to Sigma HQ.

"…" Viki wished, closed fists brought towards her face eyes closed.

"Everything's in order, right?" Zack asked to confirm.

"I assure you that everything is working in top condition, and I do mean everyth-"

"YAHOO! SATELLITE TV!" Viki cheered as she rushed into Astro Base, much to Mikeru's amusement.

"She's a rather strange one, isn't she?" She stated. Viki must really like watching TV!

"Y'all should see her when 'Pretty Secret Agent Haruka's' on!" Brad snickered, "Talk about obsessed, man Ah'll tell ya what…"

"For all it was worth, I am glad to have met you."

As her hands made contact with his, Brad struggled to maintain his composure, "A-as am Ah! Ah've learned a lot from our day together!"

"Really now?" Mike placed a hand on Brad's shoulder, "That must've been quite the experience, wouldn't you say?"

A slight glare towards the blue ranger, Mikeru then gave off a slight grin while keeping her eyes towards him. Almost as if it were an invitation towards him…

…

"Wow…" Izumi's eyes were wide as she saw the earth green ranger barely able to stand out of shock. "I never imagined Mikeru would do something like that!"

Kikoro looked on, confused, "What's wrong with him? I thought he would be happy!"

"He is, Sis!" Kokoro stated with a grin, "He just… didn't expect it, that's all!"

"You okay there, buddy?" Zack asked as he and Mike was the only thing that kept him from falling down.

"Ah…Ah need to sit down…" Was all Brad could muster as he was led into the carrier ship…

"Are all Earthlings like this?" Bewilderment was shown on Izumi's face. Whether if it was his hormones or whatever, one would think that he would act in a more presentable manner considering who he was representing!

"I think it's sweet!" Kokoro smiled.

Moments later, the four rangers returned. Notably, Brad's hair seemed to be wet. "Well anyway, I guess this is goodbye!" Zack stated, "We need to be getting back to Earth soon."

Brad looks around, "Hold on, where's Mikayla? We can't leave here without her!"

"You seem to be feeling better," Izumi noticed.

"Er…Yeah, about that…" He rubbed the back of his head, "Got a bit carried away there…"

"Brad does have a point," Mike reminded, "We cannot leave without Mikayla and we must be getting home soon."

"Oh quit your whining, I'm right here!" She snarked, wearing a brown leather backpack with each handle of a suitcase in hand. Much to the boys' confusion…

Zack raised an eyebrow, "Hold on Mikayla, are you sure you're gonna need that much stuff?"

"Yes, I _do_ need 'that much stuff." She sighed, "If only I could take my surfboard."

"You know you could've just used your super speed."

"Yeah and have a hard time stopping due to the added force combined with the weight of these suitcases leading to the possibility of smacking into a wall? Not likely!"

"Yay!" Viki pulled Mikayla into a tight hug, "It's so awesome to have another girl on the team!"

Izumi snickered, "To think I'm actually going to miss you…"

Mikalya smiled back, "I was just about to say the same to you…"

Kikoro was next to speak, "Take care, Kayla!"

"Email us!" Kokoro added.

"Try not to get into serious trouble!" Mikeru pulled Mikayla into a hug, "While we may be apart, we will always be here for you!"

"I'm going to miss you guys!" She didn't want to show it, but it was hard not to. Mikayla was filled with so much anxiety and so much concern, she wasn't sure if she wasn't making a mistake. It was as if all of a sudden she was having second thoughts. But the decision was already made. _They_ needed her. Earth needed her. And if things were going the way they were, all the other planets would need her.

Seeing the hug was now broken, "See you guys around our end of the universe!" Zack waved.

"Y'all don't be strangers now!" As did Brad…

"Mikayla's in good hands." Then Mike…

"We're going to get along just fine!" And finally Viki as they made their way inside, followed by Mikayla, who pulled in her luggage.

"Sorry…"

Lee blinked as he turned to his green ranger. "What's wrong?"

"That was _your_ line." It may not have seen like it, but it was her way of scolding him. To realize what he had done, or rather what he had _almost_ done. It was no secret that he was very reluctant in allowing her to leave Lorecora, in allowing her to become a Power Ranger. But now that she was actually leaving, all he was doing is just standing there watching her go. No goodbye, not even a hint of acknowledgement! Even Izumi had kind words to say to her in her departure. While his presence here at all should suffice in showing his support for her, but deep down in his heart, Lee knew that he couldn't let it end like this.

'I guess this really is goodbye…' She thought as she made her way up the metal ramp way. Of course Lee wouldn't be all too excited over her new opportunity, considering how hard he has worked to prevent her from ever touching a morpher. Now this has made all of his attempts meaningless. Perhaps she should be grateful he decided to show up in the first place. Before a foot could reach the door, she was suddenly taken off guard by a tight embrace.

"Promise me that you won't get hurt!"

Her eyes closed, "Lee… I'm scared. I mean I'm just not leaving home for another country, but another planet! …I-I'm not so sure if I can-"

"You can do this." He assured. "Mikayla, I believe in you. This is the opportunity you've been waiting for: A chance to see not just the world but the universe as well!"

A tear dropped from closed eye, "But what if I fail? What if I don't do anything good?"

"You will, Mikayla. You will. As much as I wished against it, what you are doing is a great service to the universe. Mom and dad would be so proud of you." He closed his eyes, "…As am I."

Hearing those words, Mikayla glanced upward, "R-really?"

"While using a malfunctioning morpher was foolish and dangerous, it showed your bravery and will to fight for what you believed in. Even now, I still have my reservations. But I know you will do well. All you need to do is to believe in yourself and you will accomplish anything you put your mind and heart to. Not just being a ranger, but in life."

Looking up towards him, lines of dried tears showed on her face as Mikaya proceeded to return the embrace. "Thank you… For believing in me! For letting me have this chance." As much as they had often clashed and irritated each other, and as sick as she was of his overprotective behavior, she would miss Lee most of all.

"While we may be apart, remember that you always have a home here. May the divine light guide you!" After the release from the embrace, Lee watched his sister proceed inside of the ship before stepping back down from the ramp. After the door was closed, the five Shine rangers watched as Astro Base made its ascent to the sky. "Have a safe journey, my sister."

…

Zack let out a sigh, "So, let's review. We came to Lorecora for the sake of Minizords. And now we're leaving with none. A complete waste of time?"

"Not necessarily!" Viki pulled the wicker basket towards her as she opened the top flap, revealing the Minizords. "While we may not be leaving with the Minizords we thought we'd find, we do have one more thanks to our new friend!"

Mikayla blinked as the small penguin waddled towards her, "So… Each of you guys have one?"

Brad nodded, "You can say that."

Zack crossed his arms, "Given that Ty and Amanda managed to get one, and Vegas Odds states that they found the other one, we're pretty much 0 for 2 – 1 for 3 if anyone's feeling generous."

"While it is not completely certain, Kikoro and Kokoro had the Minizord they found stolen while the other signal was no longer there." Mike sighed, "We may as well give them the round this time."

"Damn it all…" They went to a foreign planet to find the Minizords, yet all they could find was just one – only by coincidence complements of their new white ranger. Not to mention only winning – if one would call it that – their battle only by the skin of their teeth. Shi Castle and the Blade of Light may have been saved, but at what cost? People lost their lives either as bystanders in the castle and temples or as soldiers of the Lorecorian military and Elite Guard. This would not do… "Might as well check in with Ezekiel…" Within few presses of the buttons…

"_Rangers, I trust that you were successful."_ He greeted.

"Barely…" Mike explained, "We were completely taken off guard by the Fire Rangers and their megazord. We had to resort to using the Hyper Giga Cannon to stop them."

"_Their presence was indeed unexpected. Nevertheless, we have a lot of work to do to prepare for their next possible attack. Seeing that you appear to be fine, I trust that the morpher hasn't had any lasting ill effects on you, Mikayla?"_

She smiled, "Nothing my healing abilities can't handle, Sir."

"Speaking of which Mikayla, hand me your morpher." Mike informed, "I plan to finish making the proper repairs before we land back on Earth."

"Gladly…" She quickly passed over her morpher as he then resumed the repairs.

"The Fire Rangers pretty much got two Minzords, while we're lucky Mikayla managed to find one more." Zack then asked, "So how are things back on Earth?"

"Bad news I'm afraid." Ezekiel explained, "While you were gone, more Minizord signals were discovered."

Brad frowned, "Don't tell me: They got all of them with nobody there to stop 'em."

"I'm afraid so. The Ultima Enforcers used your trip to Lorecora to their advantage."

Viki frowned, "Phooey…"

"Well that's the icing on the cake of fail." Zack facepalmed. If it wasn't apparent that they needed to strengthen their forces (let alone competence) before, it was now.

"Look at it this way: We managed to protect Shi castle!" Mikayla reminded, looking to see some silver lining. "If you guys haven't decided to come to Lorecora, the Fire Rangers would have the Blade of Light in their hands. And there's no telling _what_ damage they would've caused! So while you've may have failed in your original mission…_almost_, we quite possibly saved all of Lorecora!"

"You have a point there… But still, somehow I have a feeling that this is all going to come back to bite us in the ass…" While Mikayla was right about the lives they saved, it didn't change the fact that now the Ultima Enforcers managed to obtain more Minizords in their absence. And to make things worse, the rangers now had a new enemy: Ty and Amanda of the Fire Ninja Academy. Now they, more than ever, would have to be on the top of their game if they were to obtain all the Minizords before either team could.

* * *

_Next Chapter:_ Mike is haunted by dreams of that fateful day of Vanicoor II's invasion as Pride plots to attack the rangers at their core. Upon encountering the enforcers, the rangers meet a familiar face from Mike's past. But what exactly are they planning?

**Chapter 17:** Pride's Ambition! Assault From Within!


End file.
